London`s Marie McManamon was unable to make history in her ONE Championship debut at ONE Fight Night 29 in Bangkok, as she was defeated in her world title challenge against Brazil`s Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
The 34-year-old McManamon aimed to become the first British woman to win a ONE Championship title, competing for the Atomweight Muay Thai championship.
However, Rodrigues proved too strong. She overwhelmed McManamon with powerful roundhouse kicks, effective boxing combinations, and precise elbows and knees, leading to a TKO victory at the end of the fourth round.
The fight began with both competitors primarily exchanging teeps and occasional roundhouse and low kicks in the center of the ring.
McManamon, who took the fight on just two weeks` notice, increased her aggression in the second round, landing body kicks and strikes to the head.
But the momentum shifted as Rodrigues landed powerful jabs, left hooks, and crosses to the head and body. She further increased her intensity in the third round.
A head kick late in the round visibly stunned McManamon. A subsequent barrage of punches, finishing with a left hook, resulted in an eight-count knockdown, though the challenger managed to stand up.
McManamon showed great bravery and continued to trade blows in the fourth round. However, Rodrigues landed punishing knees to the body and then pressed her advantage with sustained attacks in the corner and against the ropes. The fight was stopped before the start of the fifth round.
