Ahead Of ONE: Warriors Of Light, Rodtang Has His Eye On A Title Shot
As Muay Thai superstar Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon makes his third appearance this year, fans are already excited to see his fun walk out dance performance at ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT.
The blockbuster event takes place this Friday, May 10th at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and Rodtang can’t wait to showcase his skills in the “Art of Eight Limbs” to his close family, friends and hometown crowd.
After competing in the Philippines and Japan this year, Rodtang couldn’t be happier to perform once more in front of his countrymen who are responsible for giving him the energy and strength he needs to put in his best work.
“It’s exciting to fight at home. I’ll definitely have a hometown advantage and it makes it easier with fight preparation – the stadium isn’t far from here,” Rodtang said.
“The crowd is going to be amazing, I can’t wait to have all my friends there cheering me on.”
Though “The Iron Man” is on quite the winning streak, he knows never to underestimate his opponents and is looking at the Kun Khmer World Champion Sok Thy as a legitimate threat. The Cambodian owns a 223-36-12 record in which half of Thy’s victories have come by way of knockout, making him one of the toughest opponents Rodtang is to face.
“I’m not going into this fight overconfident, he’s a tough challenger. He’s got a lot of skill and experience,” Rodtang said. “He’s aggressive and has good punches too. You always have to watch out when competing in the small gloves.”
Even though the 21-year-old Rodtang was able to absorb the attacks of Hakim Hamech in Japan and was able to dominate his opponent, the young Thai was far from satisfied with his performance which he attributes to a mid-bout injury.
Now that he has recovered, Rodtang promises to continue to be as aggressive as ever with his signature style that he has become known for by fans throughout the years.
“My hand is fully healed, I’m training really hard. I’m bringing my signature aggressive style and hope to really entertain the Thai people,” Rodtang said.
“I won’t be going into this fight with a game plan. It doesn’t matter who my opponent is, I fight with my own style!”
Winning this match against Thy would bring his total victory with ONE to four, an outstanding number thus far that may lead him to a World Title shot.
With Jonathan “The General” Haggerty upsetting former World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao last Friday night at ONE: FOR HONOR to capture the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title, the stage is set for Rodtang to swoop in and challenge for the belt.
If he gets past Thy with flying colors, that bout could well be on the horizon.
“At this level of the game, all my opponents are going to be exceptional. It doesn’t matter who, I have to be ready for anyone.
“It would be a dream come true to contest for a World Title with ONE Championship and I will be working extra hard this fight to show my skills and earn my shot. I’m committed to making it a reality.
“This is for my future. I will be bringing my very best to Bangkok.”
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