"I made mistakes" - Rodtang reacts to criticism for weigh-in miss before dominant victory over Jacob Smith
This past weekend featured mixed results for Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon in his latest outing under the ONE Championship banner. What should have been a celebration of his dominant performance at ONE 169 instead attracted some criticism.
Ahead of his rematch with Jacob Smith on Nov. 8 at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium, the Muay Thai world champion failed to hit the flyweight limit and pass his hydration test.
As a result, he was stripped of the title that he had held for many years and has become synonymous with during his time in ONE.
The former world champion went out there and put on a show for his fans by beating Smith for a second time, but he couldn't ignore the setback that occurred on fight week.
During his post-event press conference, Rodtang spoke about the criticism that he has received and whether it was deserved:
"Yes, I must say as well that I'm not mad at any of the media and all the people who say things about me, and I must admit that I made mistakes."
Watch the full post-event press conference below:
Rodtang will have to be dialed in for his next fight
There have been questions and accusations in the past about the dedication of Rodtang Jitmuangnon, and that was always going to be a talking point after he missed weight ahead of ONE 169.
One thing that's for sure is 'The Iron Man' will need to be at his best in what is sure to be his next assignment.
A super fight against Japanese star Takeru Segawa has been building for some time now after Rodtang was forced to withdraw from their scheduled meeting at ONE 165 earlier this year.
After what he went through this past weekend and the magnitude of his next challenge, the Thai striker should be entirely focused on the task at hand.