"Him and Dodson hit me the hardest" – Demetrious Johnson on Rodtang's power following ONE X superfight

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Demetrious Johnson vs Rodtang at ONE X (top), Demetrious Johnson vs John Dodson (below). [Photo: ONE Championship / Twitter]

Demetrious Johnson could make a name for himself as a Muay Thai fighter. His opening-round display against Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X showed how efficient and effective the MMA GOAT contender's striking is.

More impressive still is that the 35-year-old didn't back down when the Muay Thai world champion started to unload on him. He took the damage, traded punch-for-punch and even hit Rodtang with a jab-cross combination just before the end of the opening canto.

Speaking on Rodtang’s phenomenal power during a post-fight presser after his second-round submission win at ONE X: Grand Finale, Demetrious Johnson said:

“I got rocked a couple of times, but I’ve been rocked before. I think him and [John] Dodson hit the hardest.”

To those unfamiliar, Dodson almost took the UFC flyweight gold off ‘Mighty Mouse’ when they went to war in January 2013.

The striking specialist clipped him numerous times, but the world champion stuck true to his craft. He frustrated Dodson with his grappling and quick fists throughout the 25-minute fight before claiming the unanimous decision win.

In their rematch a couple of years later, ‘Mighty Mouse’ earned a much easier win over Dodson, who simply failed to impose any of his strengths on the contest.

It was one of Demetrious Johnson's most memorable striking battles in the UFC. Based on his recent display at ONE X, he seems to have not lost his appetite and knowledge for fighting on the feet.

Though he rarely displays his striking repertoire, ‘Mighty Mouse’ would be smart to consider a stint in Muay Thai under the ONE Super Series banner.

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Demetrious Johnson knew he had to stop Rodtang in the second frame

The 12-time world champion went toe-to-toe with Rodtang in the opening three minutes of their special rules contest at ONE X. He got entangled in several exchanges with ‘The Iron Man’, an athlete known for putting together some of the most damaging combinations in the discipline.

He managed to survive Rodtang’s striking and, in an interview after the bout, 'Mighty Mouse' revealed that he wanted to avoid getting mixed up in it again by stopping the Thai in the second round, which was contested under MMA rules.

Demetrious Johnson added during the post-fight scrum:

“The biggest thing I’m happy about, which I can take away from this fight, is that I had three minutes, and when I got his back, I was very aggressive. I rarely go for the kill, I’m just chilling, relaxing, because I have five minutes, 15 minutes. This one, I was like, ‘You got three minutes, you got to get it done, or you got to go to another round of Muay Thai, and he has a chance to knock you out.'”

After the success of the ONE X mixed-rules bout, we can expect to see some more blockbuster clashes in the future.

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