Apologetic Rodtang vows to reclaim world title after weight miss at ONE 169 - "I will take it back to the Thai people"
Rodtang Jitmuangnon reaffirmed his commitment to reclaiming the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship after being stripped of the crown for missing weight ahead of ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' this past Friday, Nov. 8, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. It would have been his sixth defense of the flyweight crown.
'The Iron Man' told Mitch Chilson in the post-fight interview following his win over Jacob Smith:
"I have deep regret for losing that belt. I'm just a kid growing up doing Muay Thai. I'm struggling. I fought so hard for that belt and have been through so many hardships. I want to tell everyone that in the future, I will get that belt back and I will take it back to the Thai people!"
Rodtang, who was ineligible to win the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship, displayed an otherworldly determination to prevent Smith from taking the 135-pound Muay Thai crown to the United Kingdom.
After employing a slow-burn attack to gauge Smith's strategy early on, the Jitmuangnon Gym star gradually turned up the pressure to earn the unanimous decision triumph.
Rodtang and Takeru get into heated faceoff after ONE 169
Rodtang appears to be on the cusp of another megastar-versus-megastar bout as he and Japanese kickboxing icon Takeru Segawa met inside the ring for an impromptu staredown following the Thai hero's ONE 169 win.
Watch the interaction below:
This moment was similar to their faceoff at ONE Friday Fights 81 this past September, where 'The Iron Man' congratulated Takeru on capturing his maiden victory under the ONE banner.
In response, 'The Natural Born Crusher' eagerly called him out for a fight.
Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch ONE 169 on demand.