Liam Harrison delighted about Rodtang’s return to form against Takeru: “He looked brilliant”
Veteran British striker Liam Harrison was thrilled to see Rodtang Jitmuangnon back to his dominant self in his last fight after what he believed to be so-so performances from the Thai superstar previously.
'The Iron Man' made short work of Japanese legend Takeru Segawa in their marquee flyweight kickboxing showdown at ONE 172 on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Rodtang did not allow Takeru to get his game fully going as he put pressure on 'The Natural Born Krusher' at the onset. He finished things off in just 80 seconds into the match after landing a solid left hook that sent the hometown bet to the mat and unable to continue after.
In an interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin, Harrison gave his take on the performance of Rodtang at ONE 172, including how it was different from his previous ones save for the one he had against fellow Thai superstar Superlek in September 2023.
'Hitman' said:
"Because he did it against Superlek, it went fine against Superlek and he looked great in that fight. Even though he lost, he looked brilliant. I thought it was a great fight.
"And he did it for this one. I’m not sure, maybe in between, when he’s been getting off these fights and matches with people who are nowhere near his level, where he just might think “why am I doing this? I can’t be out, I don’t even need to train”
Watch the interview below:
Before his victory over Takeru, Rodtang, the former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion, won back-to-back matches, both by decision, but saw him struggle to make weight each time.
The replay of ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang is available at watch.onefc.com.
Rodtang says renewed sense of focus key to win over Takeru at ONE 172
Rodtang Jitmuangnon recommitted himself to be more focused on his preparation and it all made the difference in his dominant victory over Takeru at ONE 172.
He pointed it out during the post-event press conference for ONE 172, sharing how in the lead-up he and his team made sure they did everything to render him in top fighting form against Takeru.
The Jitmuangnon Gym standout said:
"I remind myself every day during training on how successful I was and why I became famous in the first place, and now I'm really dedicated. I have no break. I train every day, and I want to say thank you to Chatri for recommending Peter [Miller], his nutritionist, who's been helping him very much with his condition. It feels like this is a new world for Rodtang right now."
The win ONE 172 was the third straight for Rodtang and 17 in 19 matches in ONE Championship.