Demetrious Johnson criticizes Superlek for missing weight against Rodtang: “At the end of the day, we fight for money”
Reigning and undisputed ONE flyweight MMA world champion ‘Mighty Mouse’ Demetrious Johnson, like everybody else, was absolutely blown away by the explosive showdown between Rodtang and Superlek at ONE Friday Fights 34 this past Friday.
ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion ‘The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon traded heavy firepower with ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion ‘The Kicking Machine’ Superlek Kiatmoo9 in a highly anticipated showdown to determine the world’s best Muay Thai fighter.
The two locked horns in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 34, which took place live at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on September 22.
Unfortunately, Superlek failed weight and hydration testing, stepping on to the scales five pounds over the flyweight limit. This caused the fight to be converted to a three-round non-title bout, which was a disappointing turn of events, to say the least.
Johnson, a consummate professional, has always made weight for all of his fights. So, he couldn’t fathom how Superlek could miss weight, given the amount of time he had to prepare.
In a recent Instagram post, Johnson said:
“Superlek comes in five pounds overweight. He beats Rodtang and he’s not the world champion. He had no opportunity to win the belt, and he had no opportunity to win a bonus.
“So, ladies and gentlemen. I would sacrifice my performance just to make weight because at the end of the day, we fight for money. That’s what I fight for, I fight for money. I’ve been a world champion 11 consecutive times. A 15-time world champion. Now when I fight, it’s for the money. Great fight. Congrats to Superlek for beating Rodtang. And congrats to Rodtang for fighting Superlek. Hope you guys [have] nothing but the best and a speedy recovery."
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch the replay of the Rodtang vs. Superlek banger and all the action at ONE Friday Fights 34 on the ONE Super App and ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel.