What Chatri Sityodtong said to "crying" Rodtang Jitmuangnon after his loss to Demetrious Johnson at ONE X

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ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong consoles Rodtang Jitmuangnon (right) following his loss to Demetrious Johnson at ONE X. [Photos: ONE Championship]

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong knew just what to say to Muay Thai star Rodtang Jitmuangnon following his submission loss to mixed martial arts icon Demetrious Johnson at ONE X.

Rodtang fell to Johnson via second-round submission in their mixed-rules fight last Saturday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. It was a loss the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion took to heart.

Sityodtong said Rodtang was in tears when they met after the fight. The ONE CEO calmly told the Thai superstar that he’ll bounce back from the defeat and to just take his time after the event.

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Chatri Sityodtong said in the post-event presser:

"He met with me afterwards and he was crying. He said he wants to go back to MMA and I said ‘Just take your time. You want one match at a time and I'm sure you'll be able to achieve your dreams.'"

The special-rules fight mandated that the first and third rounds be fought under Muay Thai rules and the second and fourth under MMA rules.

Johnson, a natural grappler, was at a disadvantage in the opener with Rodtang dictating the tempo throughout the round. However, the Thai fighter was dragged into the deep end in the second, with Johnson eventually putting him to sleep with a rear-naked choke at 2:13 of the round.

Sityodtong added that there’s no shame in losing to Johnson, a person he considers to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time:

“DJ is the GOAT. DJ’s in his prime, he’s not like slowing down and yes, he lost to Adriano [Moraes] and got knocked out. But if you look at the body of work over his career, you look at his skillset today, you look at him, he's in his prime."

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Chatri Sityodtong says Rodtang Jitmuangnon struck fear into Demetrious Johnson

Chatri Sityodtong said that even though Rodtang lost the bout in the end, the start was completely different.

The ONE Championship chairman said Johnson looked scared heading into his fight against the striking savant.

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However, Rodtang looked the complete opposite and gave off a relaxed feeling before the bout, according to Sityodtong:

“I was surprised that DJ actually stood there and went striking. He could run away and run around but he was there to strike and he was landing. He was trying. I don't know if you saw the reaction when DJ entered the cage. Normally he's very calm and relaxed. This time you can see him scared, you could actually see that he was nervous. You could see it in his face and Rodtang was very relaxed. That’s why I thought this was not gonna end well.”

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