EXCLUSIVE | Muay Thai King Rodtang Eyes Two-Sport Gold In Return To Kickboxing at ONE Fight Night 6

With the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title sitting comfortably his shoulder, Rodtang Jitmuangnon is looking to build his legacy further in his return to kickboxing at ONE Fight Night 6: Superbon vs. Allazov this Friday, 13th January.

It’s been two years since “The Iron Man’s” last outing in the sport inside ONE Championship’s Circle. At ONE: FISTS OF FURY in February 2021, he scored victory over Russian prospect Tagir Khalilov in his promotional debut in kickboxing. 

The flyweight Muay Thai king was originally set to take on Daniel Puertas at Friday’s event, but after the Spanish star was called up to compete for the now-vacant ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title against Superlek Kiatmoo9, he was given a new opponent in China’s Jiduo Yibu.

While his preparations for Puertas were well under way when news of the schedule change came through, the 25-year-old remains unfazed of the new puzzle he must now solve.

“I had done my homework with my original opponent, and I have limited time to study a new one. It’s a little bit of a struggle for me, but it is not a big deal,” he expressed.

“Daniel has an orthodox style, but Jiduo is a southpaw. It will be completely different. I have to change my game plan to walk toward him instead. 

“I have a lot of history fighting against southpaws, so I have no problem with it.”

Assessing the abilities of “The Eagle of Yi,” Rodtang acknowledges that his skill set could pose a risk to his unbeaten record in ONE’s striking divisions. 

His Chinese foe’s debut outing in ONE saw him go down to a razor-thin split decision loss against Puertas, but “The Iron Man” recognises Jiduo’s love for a scrappy affair. 

In fact, Rodtang has had to dig deep into his upcoming foe’s fights in order to identify a flaw in his game – but he thinks he may have found one.

“Jiduo’s strength is that he doesn’t say no to fighting toe-to-toe. I watched his videos, and I admit that he is a dangerous opponent. He is bold and tough. He can absorb a lot of attacks,” he pointed out.

“As far as I have studied him, I still can’t find his weakness. But I think he may have a weak stomach because, in his fight with Daniel, Daniel only hit him in the face, not the stomach. I don’t know what will happen if he got hit in the liver, and I’d like to try. 

“I have to lure him to walk toward me so I can fight with him more easily.“

Despite the flyweight Muay Thai king’s attention being firmly centred on Jiduo this Friday, Rodtang will also be paying close attention to the co-main event between Superlek and Puertas. 

“The Iron Man” plans to double his gold this year, and he expects a win at ONE Fight Night 6 will earn him a shot at the new flyweight kickboxing king, whoever that may be.

“I am more than ready to fight for the World Title if I win, because it is not the first time I have fought in kickboxing, and I’m the #1-ranked contender,” Rodtang explained. 

“So, I think I have the right to challenge for kickboxing gold with either Superlek or Daniel. I’ll wait and see who claims this belt, and I’m going to claim it for myself next time out.”