Look back at the historic match between legends Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang
ONE Championship re-posted the historic mixed-rules bout between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang.
In April 2021, Johnson lost his opportunity to become the ONE flyweight MMA world champion after getting knocked out by Adriano Moraes. Nearly a year later, ‘Mighty Mouse’ looked to get back on track by taking on Rodtang, a Muay Thai legend. The bout utilized a mixed ruleset with Muay Thai in the first and third rounds and MMA in the second and fourth.
After surviving the first round, Johnson exposed Rodtang’s lack of grappling experience, leaving him unconscious with a rear-naked choke. ONE decided to re-surface the entire fight on YouTube with the caption saying:
“Before ONE Flyweight World Champion Demetrious Johnson defends his gold against former titleholder Adriano Moraes in a massive trilogy showdown on May 5, relive his historic mixed rules super-fight with flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang in 2022!”
Watch the bout below:
Demetrious Johnson rode the momentum from his win against Rodtang and earned another flyweight MMA world title shot. The American wouldn’t be denied this time, securing a flying knee knockout against Adriano Moraes at ONE on Prime Video1. On May 5, ‘Mighty Mouse’ looks to defend his throne for the first time in a trilogy bout against ‘Mikinho'.
Meanwhile, Rodtang Jitmuangnon has fought three times since losing against Johnson. The Thai superstar defended his ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title once and won a kickboxing bout against Jiduo Yibu in January. ‘The Iron Man’ returns to action the same night as ‘Mighty Mouse' with an intriguing flyweight Muay Thai world championship bout against promotional newcomer Edgar Tabares.
Demetrious Johnson will headline ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video, the promotion’s first event on U.S. soil, while Rodtang will be showcased in the co-main event. The former opponents are a significant reason why the 1stBank Center in Colorado is sold out for the highly-anticipated event on May 5.
ONE Fighty Night 10 can be seen live and for free by North American Prime Video subscribers.