Demetrious Johnson says Rodtang’s striking base makes him a terrifying MMA prospect: “Could probably be top 10”
ONE flyweight MMA world champion and MMA all-time great Demetrious Johnson recently spoke about his former opponent, ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon. The two faced each other last year in a historic "mixed rules" bout at ONE X.
Dj spoke about his time in the Circle with 'The Iron Man' and provided commentary on one of the Thai's bouts in his YouTube channel, "Mighty Gaming".
Here's the video:
""Mighty" Demetrious Johnson breaks down Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs Jonathan Haggerty from ONE Championship: A New Tomorrow!"
In the video, Demetrious Johnson said of Rodtang:
"I love watching Rodtang, he’s one of my favorite fighters under the ONE Championship banner. Probably, if he had a legit background in wrestling and jiu-jitsu he could probably be top 10 in MMA in the world just because his standup is so good. But he’s got a lot of work to do in the grappling and in the wrestling."
Back in March last year, at ONE Championship's biggest event at that point, ONE X, DJ squared off with the Thai world champion in a mixed rules bout where the 4-round contest will have alternating rounds between Muay Thai and MMA.
In the first round, 'The Iron Man' effectively showcased a level of striking not a lot of casual MMA fans see. This was an eye-opening round for most mainstream fight fans as they got to witness what high-level Muay Thai looks like.
The ONE flyweight Muay Thai king absolutely ran through all of Johnson's attacks like a steel locomotive and never flinched. Props to DJ, however, for surviving and finding his way out of troublesome spots.
The second round was a completely different fight as the undeniably novice grappler in Rodtang got absolutely dominated on the ground by the BJJ brown belt in Johnson. DJ won the bout via submission, but the Thai superstar won the admiration of millions of fans around the world.
This Friday, Rodtang will face ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9. Taking place in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 34 inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, 'The Iron Man' was originally scheduled to defend his belt against 'The Kicking Machine. But since Superlek missed weight during the weigh in, the bout has been turned into a non-title bout.
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch The event live and absolutely free on September 22 via the ONE Super App, the official ONE Championship YouTube channel, and other digital platforms.