The long-awaited ONE World Title tilt fans have been salivating for is finally here. On Monday, ONE Championship Chairman & CEO Chatri Sityodtong confirmed that newly crowned ONE flyweight kickboxing champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 will defend his belt against ONE flyweight Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE Fight Night 8 on Mar. 24.
Rodtang has long been chasing a shot at kickboxing gold, and Superlek has worked himself into the #1-ranked contender spot in the Muay Thai division. A collision between the pair was inevitable, and it looks like kickboxing will be first on the docket.
This super-fight has been brewing for some time, and it has started to boil in the cauldron over the past year.
In 2022, Rodtang defeated Jacob Smith and Joseph Lasiri in Muay Thai to continue his iron-fisted rule over his division. He then returned to the kickboxing ranks in January, scoring a unanimous decision win over Jiduo Yibu at ONE Fight Night 6.
Superlek’s 2022 saw him competing on ONE’s global stage three times in Muay Thai, with all three bouts ending in victory for him. His 2023 then kicked off in perfect fashion at ONE Fight Night 6, where won the vacant ONE flyweight kickboxing title by defeating Daniel Puertas via unanimous decision.
With the date of the highly anticipated title tussle set for Friday, Mar. 24, ONE Fight Night 8 has its first marquee matchup, and many are already calling for Superlek vs. Rodtang to be a potential Fight of the Year contender.
ONE Fight Night 8 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, Mar. 24. The action, free to all Amazon Prime subscribers in the United States and Canada, gets underway at 8 p.m. ET.