Rodtang admits he couldn’t keep up with ‘full of energy’ Demetrious Johnson in mixed-rules clash

At ONE Friday Fights 34 on September 22, Rodtang Jitmuangnon is going into his biggest title defense to date.

Stepping inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the dominant ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion will face an opponent that can match his own elite status.

ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 will not be intimidated like many of the defending champion’s previous opponents and can go toe to toe with him when needed.

In a recent interview with CUTZRADIO, ‘The Iron Man’ reflected on some key moments from his career ahead of one of his biggest ever nights.

The flyweight Muay Thai king specifically spoke about his historic mixed-rules contest at ONE X against flyweight MMA GOAT Demetrious Johnson.

Having submitted Rodtang in the second round once the fight turned to MMA rules, Johnson had to first weather the storm of competing in Muay Thai with the biggest name in the sport.

Though he wasn’t able to cause the champion too many issues, Johnson used his fight IQ and footwork to keep himself in the fight long enough to where the tables turned in his favor.

During the podcast appearance, ‘The Iron Man’ said that the elusiveness of ‘Mighty Mouse’ caused him issues due to his aggressive marching forward style:

“It’s quite difficult [to hit him with my normal style] because he can run," said Rodtang. "DJ is still full of energy to run around the ring in the first round and I can’t chase him.”

Watch the full interview below:

One thing is for sure is ‘The Kicking Machine’s ability to fight off of the back foot. But there will be no chance for running when these two devastating strikers meet on the global stage..

ONE Friday Fights 34 will air live and free via ONE Championship’s YouTube channel.

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