WATCH: Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s technical masterpiece against Mexico’s Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 10 in Denver
Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon is one of the most dominant world title holders ONE Championship has seen, and he never fails to deliver each time he competes. One of his standout victories came against Mexican Edgar Tabares, who he dismantled with a second-round knockout.
The setting was ONE Fight Night 10 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., in May last year, with 'The Iron Man' defending the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title. It was his fifth defense of the belt he seized in August 2019.
Rodtang was methodical in tearing down Tabares. He sized up the challenger in the opening moments of the fight before unleashing a flurry of punches to end the opening round. The Thai champion then picked things up in the second round, which culminated in him landing a well-placed elbow to the jaw that sent his opponent crashing to the canvas and out for the count.
ONE Championship posted highlights of the clinical performance from the Jitmuangnon Gym standout on Instagram for fans to relive.
Check out the post below:
Unfortunately for Rodtang, he was stripped of the world title he held for so long prior to his most recent fight at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Nov. 8 in Thailand for missing weight. He still went on to beat Jacob Smith of United Kingdom in their scheduled showdown, but was not eligible to reclaim the belt as part of his penalty,
The full replay of ONE 169 is available on demand to Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Rodtang vows to reclaim flyweight Muay Thai gold
After being stripped of the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title because of his own doing, Rodtang Jitmuangnon has vowed to redeem himself by reclaiming the belt.
He made this known during the post-fight interview with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson following his victory over Jacob Smith at ONE 169 on Nov. 8. He said it was a wake-up call for him and wanted to make the Thai people proud once again.
He said:
"I have deep regret for losing that belt. I'm just a kid growing up doing Muay Thai. I'm struggling. I fought hard for that belt and have been through so many hardships. I want to tell everyone that in the future, I will get that belt back and I will take it back to the Thai people!"
Rodtang became world champion in August 2019 after he defeated by unanimous decision former flyweight Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty.