ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues has spent her career speaking the universal language of “the art of eight limbs.” Now, she is learning another one.

The Brazilian defends her crown against ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom in the main event of The Inner Circle 19 on Friday, June 19, inside Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium. The subscriber-only Asia primetime showcase streams exclusively at live.onefc.com.

Between training sessions at Phuket Fight Club, the 28-year-old mom-champ has been quietly taking on a challenge of a very different kind. 

The five-time ONE World Champion has been studying English, driven by a conviction that fluency will open up a version of her career she has not yet fully accessed. 

Rodrigues shared:

“It’s very important, especially for communication, interviews, and connecting with everyone who speaks English. Once I become more fluent, it will make a huge difference in my career.

“I want to be able to communicate and show more of who I am to everyone. I believe it will also open other doors of opportunity, especially for sponsorships.”

The commitment behind those words is real. She has not simply decided to pick up the language whenever time allows. Instead, Rodrigues has built a structure around it, carving out dedicated sessions from a schedule already packed with training, World Title defenses, rescue work, and life as a mother. 

The process has been more manageable than she initially expected, though that does not make it any less demanding. 

She continued:

“I take online classes with Professor Claudio twice a week. The process has been going well because I already knew some words when we started, and that made things a little easier.

“But it’s still a long process. I’ve already lost some of the fear of speaking, but I still have a lot to learn, and my teacher has been helping me a lot to improve.”

Outside the classroom, the Muay Thai specialist has made sure the language follows her into the corners of her daily life, where no online session could reach.

Rodrigues has turned everyday moments into opportunities to absorb, practice, and grow. Whether on a screen, in a private training session, or in conversation with those around her, the work continues well beyond the twice-weekly classes. 

She said:

“I like watching movies in English, and I also teach private classes where I need to use English. I also have some friends I can practice with. So, all these help with my English.”

The Challenges That Keep Her Hungry

The groundwork is clearly there for Allycia Hellen Rodrigues. But fluency, as any language learner knows, is easier said than done.

Structured classes, English-language films, and private sessions where communication cannot be avoided – all of it has given her growing confidence and a vocabulary that continues to expand.

But the path to genuine fluency runs through specific obstacles that remain very much in progress, and she is under no illusions about the road still ahead:

“The expressions are definitely still a challenge, and there are many words I still don’t know.

“The pronunciation of some words is difficult too, but I know it’s all about practice, and I’m being patient with the process.”

That measured, deliberate patience, built on the quiet understanding that mastery takes time, has defined Rodrigues both as a fighter and as a person. 

It is the same quality that drove her through years of refinement at Phuket Fight Club, absorbing lesson after lesson until it all became second nature, and it is what drives her now in a language classroom. 

Having walked the path herself, she understands the fear of picking up a new language better than most. Now, she has a clear message for those wiggling their fingers at the starting line.

The ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion said:

“I would tell them to go after it, to learn and study, because it will only bring benefits. Just like it’s changing my life, it can change theirs too. 

“Learning English is essential, and I can’t wait to become truly fluent.”

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