The ONE flyweight Muay Thai championship will be on the line on Friday, Nov. 18, when Rodtang Jitmuangnon welcomes strawweight Muay Thai king Joseph Lasiri at ONE on Prime Video 4: Abbasov vs. Lee.
It is a matchup that will electrify the masses, but it wasn’t initially in the works at the Singapore-based promotion.
Rodtang was part of the ONE flyweight Muay Thai grand prix until he dropped out of the tournament before the semifinal round. For “The Iron Man,” the decision was more about giving those watching 100% of his energy and not allowing them to get a diminished result.
“I said to myself that I could have a thousand belts, but if I can’t give a great performance to entertain the fans, it is meaningless for me. I care for my fans who always follow me and want to see me put on a show. I want to entertain them in every fight. Without them, there wouldn’t be a Rodtang today,” he said.
Out of the tournament and now back to defending his gold, Rodtang meets Lasiri in the co-main event of ONE’s fourth event to stream live on Prime Video. The champion-against-champion tie will be the first of two at the tantalizing spectacle, with Kiamrian Abbasov and Christian Lee meeting in the main event to contest the welterweight crown.
Lasiri recently captured the ONE strawweight Muay Thai title with a shock win over Prajanchai PK.Saenchai in May, and the Italian-Moroccan dynamo will be hoping for another emphatic result to earn him a second strap.
But Rodtang is sure that won’t be the case, as he believes the power advantage will be too much for his upcoming opponent.
That said, he retains the utmost respect for Lasiri, who is returning to the flyweight division to continue to push himself against the greatest strikers in the world.
“If I were him, I would do the same. There is nothing for him to lose even if he loses that fight. On the contrary, if he wins, he will get a massive reward. It is just like when I accepted to fight with Demetrious Johnson. Although I lost that match, I didn’t feel the loss at all. Because I was willing to take a challenge and risk. But if I had won, I would feel like I have made a great step further,” Rodtang said.
“He had already lost to many people in the flyweight division before. So, I think it is his determination to challenge himself to win in this division. Like, if you lose to one opponent every time, then you definitely want to beat that guy someday. I understand his feelings.”
When Lasiri upset Prajanchai to score the strawweight Muay Thai world title, Rodtang was impressed by his footwork. He believes the performance gave insight into how well “The Hurricane” plans for his opponents. However, the flyweight legend isn’t planning on letting him dictate this match the way he did his last.
When the bell sounds, Rodtang will take the center of the Circle and establish his dominance. If his power advantage comes to fruition, “The Iron Man” expects to earn a finish to continue his reign.
“I expect to knock him out in round three. I want to knock him out with a high kick. But it would be tricky because he is too tall to reach. So, I think I’d knock him out with my killer punch and elbow instead,” he said.
ONE on Prime Video 4: Abbasov vs. Lee airs live and free at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 18, on Prime Video.