"Give me Rodtang" - Tagir Khalilov wants another crack at Rodtang after razor-close first battle
Muay Thai rising star Tagir Khalilov says he wants to take another stab at 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon after his next fight at ONE Friday Fights 67. Khalilov is back this year feeling optimistic about his future run in ONE Championship.
Fortunately for him, the Russian brawler has a fight already lined up for him this Friday, June 14, to face 25-year-old Nakrob Fairtex at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand.
If Khalilov can impress the fans again by trading blows with Nakrob, he could find himself again on Rodtang's radar. They both fought each other back in 2021 with Rodtang nabbing the victory via a close-split decision, and it's all Khalilov ever thinks about.
Feeling like he's got a second chance to turn things around, the Russian standout promised ONE Championship:
"Just remember my kickboxing fight against Rodtang, I took the fight on a weeks' notice and put on a great fight, losing by split decision. ONE, give me Rodtang!"
Rewatch the full kickboxing scrum between Rodtang vs. Tagir Khalilov below:
Flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang has another name on his list this year and it's not Tagir Khalilov
ONE flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang hasn't forgotten about Japan's kickboxing star Takeru Segawa after securing an epic kickboxing victory over Denis Puric last Friday.
The Thai superstar defeated Puric via unanimous decision in a crowd-pleasing three-round slugfest at the Impact Arena in Thailand. Emotional about the win, Rodtang is ready to keep the momentum going with another career-defining victory over Takeru.
Both men were scheduled to fight earlier this year at ONE 165, but because of Rodtang's injury, the Muay Thai king was forced to withdraw.
Willing to get that matchup resumed once again, Rodtang called out Takeru inside the ring saying:
"I want to fight Takeru, you ready? Takeru let's go!"
The replay of ONE 167 is free on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.