“I was getting that a** after round one” - Demetrious Johnson knew he would beat Rodtang at ONE X
ONE Championship broke ground at their 10th-anniversary showcase ONE X in March when Muay Thai icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon squared off with current ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson in a mixed-rules bout.
With alternating rounds of Muay Thai and MMA rules, it was a highly entertaining affair that received high praise from the MMA community, including commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan. Appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Demetrious Johnson spoke about the groundbreaking matchup, revealing that he was comfortably sitting at home alongside his wife when he was offered the fight:
“When they offered that to me, I was on the couch with the wife.”
'Mighty Mouse' went on to give listeners a brief background on exactly who Rodtang Jitmuangnon is in the world of Muay Thai:
“If you guys don’t know who Rodtang is, he's one of the best, probably the best Muay Thai fighter in the world pound-for-pound. He just walks through people.”
With the first round of the contest starting with Muay Thai rules, Johnson knew it would just be a matter of survival until he could get to the second round, which would then shift to MMA rules.
“I knew that the first round was going to be difficult, but I was getting that a** after round one.”
Johnson did exactly that, submitting Rodtang via a rear-naked choke to score one of the biggest wins of his combat sports career.
Watch the mixed rules bout between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon:
Demetrious Johnson could try to add a submission grappler superstar to his resume next
After defeating Muay Thai world champion Rodtang inside the circle, Demetrious Johnson completed his goal of capturing a ONE world title by defeating former flyweight titleholder Adriano Moraes in spectacular fashion at ONE on Prime Video 1. With DJ claiming MMA gold and having successfully dipped his toes into Muay Thai during his tenure in the promotion, ‘Mighty Mouse’ could aim to dabble in a third sport after getting called out by submission grappling star Mikey Musumeci.
After capturing the inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship a month after Johnson’s own world title win, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ respectfully called for a grappling match with Johnson in his post-fight interview:
“We can make history together, you know. I know me and him [Johnson] can bring the MMA and jiu-jitsu fans together. And it would be just a historic, incredible event. It will be an honor to step on the mats with him. It's not a callout - it's just a respectful request to roll.”
Demetrious Johnson responded to Musumeci’s request, letting him know that they’ll get it done one way or another.
“If we don’t grapple in the circle, I’ll come to Vegas and grapple you in the gym.”