“There are so many people who want to fight me” - Rodtang says he won’t be picky with his next challenger
Rodtang Jitmuangnon is on a path to redeem himself and he'll simply go through everyone in his way, regardless of who it is. 'The Iron Man' got his hand raised for the second straight time this year, following another methodical five-round beatdown of Jacob Smith at ONE 169 last Nov.8 at Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
However, a cloud of despair rained over his triumphant moment after he missed weight for the second consecutive fight. The Thai megastar had to face the consequences and regrettably surrendered his flyweight Muay Thai world title.
As much as Rodtang wants an immediate shot at the belt he lost, he understands what he must do to earn that opportunity.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, the highest-paid Muay Thai athlete said he'd be open to all challengers, may it be at a higher weight class or perhaps even under a different ruleset.
"Up to Chatri [Stiyodtong]. However, I see there are so many people who want to fight me. I can fight anyone. I don’t really have a name right now."
Rewatch Rodtang's impeccable dissection of Smith at ONE 169. The full replay is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Rodtang believes he found a glaring hole in Takeru's fighting style
By the looks of it, it's the perfect time to revisit Rodtang and Takeru Segawa's long-overdue kickboxing match-up. This highly requested showdown was supposed to go down earlier this year but was put on hold after 'The Iron Man' broke his hand.
If the promotion decides to make this dream match-up a reality, the former flyweight Muay Thai champ said he already found 'The Natural Born Crusher's' weakness.
As far as Rodtang is concerned, the Japanese superstar's aggressive style is a double-edged sword since he leaves himself open a bit too much.
"He’s fast, he has dangerous attacks. But, he has no defense. I feel like he’s always been like that," Rodtang told Sportskeeda MMA.