“Maybe the motivation is gone” - Jonathan Haggerty comments on Rodtang’s second straight weight miss
Jonathan Haggerty is quite familiar with Rodtang Jitmuangnon after sharing the ONE Championship ring with him on two occasions.
'The General' knows just how hard 'The Iron Man' worked to be considered one of the biggest Muay Thai superstars of this generation.
That said, Haggerty is also quite perplexed that his old rival missed weight for his last two bouts. The Thai warrior's failure to meet the demands of the scales cost him big time at ONE 169 last Nov. 8.
Despite dominating Jacob Smith in their co-main event five-rounder, Rodtang surrendered his flyweight Muay Thai world title before the match even began.
As far as Haggerty is concerned, Rodtang's worrying weight debacle can be attributed to two things.
The reigning bantamweight kickboxing world champion said in an appearance on Sky Sports:
"Well, he’s took everybody out, he’s beaten everybody, he’s at the top now. Maybe the motivation is gone, we’ll never know. Maybe he got a little more bigger."
Meanwhile, Rodtang has already responded to critics questioning his passion now that he has reached the pinnacle of the sport.
If the former flyweight Muay Thai kingpin ever decides to move up a division, Haggerty would certainly love to welcome him at bantamweight.
Watch Jonathan Haggerty's full Sky Sports interview:
Rodtang confident he can hang with bigger foes in possible bantamweight move
If Rodtang got his way, he would prefer to reclaim his lost flyweight Muay Thai world championship before pondering going up to the 145-pound division.
Then again, 'The Iron Man' also understands the fans' concern about him staying at flyweight.
If push comes to shove, Rodtang believes he'll have no problems adjusting to bigger and more physical opponents in the bantamweight ranks.
"I can make it in the heavier weight. I used to fight in traditional Muay Thai rules in five rounds. I used to carry 10 kilos [more] before so it depends on the future," he told ONE.
Rewatch Rodtang's latest victory against Jacob Smith at ONE 169. The full replay is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.