“I definitely want it back” - Rodtang wants to reclaim flyweight belt before potential move to bantamweight 

All signs point to Rodtang Jitmuangnon likely moving to the 145-pound division in the aftermath of ONE 169 over the weekend.

While 'The Iron Man' cruised to another dominant unanimous decision victory over Jacob Smith in their five-round catchweight battle, he lost his flyweight Muay Thai world title after failing the demands of the scales for his second straight fight.

However, if the Thai megastar had his way, he would love another crack at the 26 pounds of gold he lost, before potentially moving up the the bantamweight division.

Rodtang made this clear while talking to Mitch-Chilson in his ONE 169 in-ring interview:

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"As a fighter, I want every belt. And this belt that I lost, I definitely want it back, but that might be a potential in the future."

However, the 27-year-old striker admits it's out of his hands at the moment, and would proceed with how the promotion sees fit. The former flyweight Muay Thai kingpin added:

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"Whether or not I get a match to get that belt back, it all depends on the promotion and Khun Chatri [Sityodtong]. I must apologize to him."

What's on the horizon for Rodtang Jitmuangnon?

Rodtang made up for his weigh-in blunder with another clinical dissection of Jacob Smith. 'The Iron Man' controlled the fight from start to finish and picked his shots perfectly.

He exactly knew when to go in and break through the Brit's defenses or slip out and use effective counterstriking to avoid damage.

Now, fans and pundits alike are asking what's next for the highest-paid Muay Thai athlete in the world. By the looks of it, Rodtang's long-overdue showdown with Japanese megastar Takeru Segawa is the next fight to make.

The pair figured in another testy face-off inside the ring shortly after Rodtang's beautiful destruction of Smith.

The full replay of ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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