Rodtang Jitmuangnon coming to America to compete has been a dream for Muay Thai fans for a long time, and it’s set to become a reality when ONE Championship touches down in the U.S. for the first time on May 5 at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video.
The star-studded card will electrify the sold out 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., and Rodtang will defend the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title against Edgar Tabares in the co-main event.
Ahead of the historic event, “The Iron Man” made it known how grateful he is for the opportunity.
“I’m glad and honored to receive this chance from ONE Championship to fight in the USA. It’s a dream of all the boxers who want to be elevated to the international level,” he told ONE.
“I’d like to thank ONE Championship for giving me this opportunity to show the art of Muay Thai to everyone all over the world, and to have everyone in the U.S. love Muay Thai even more, and admire and support Muay Thai more.”
While the flyweight Muay Thai strap will be on the line, Rodtang’s focus is on delivering an exciting performance for the fans. He is coming to America to continue elevating the sport of Muay Thai around the world, and that goal is more than enough motivation for the Thai star ahead of his latest title defense.
“Of course there is pressure. But I think if I can create this pressure for myself, I can create support for myself, too, so when the day comes I can show my Muay Thai style. I want to fight in my own style and show the uniqueness of Muay Thai to the world – whatever the result might be,” Rodtang said.
“I don’t think about winning and losing. I just want to do my part and show the fans who I am, making them happy. They can tell their friends they have watched Rodtang and see how entertaining, aggressive, and fun it is.”
Tabares will be making his ONE debut at ONE Fight Night 10. It will be a tall task for the Mexican striker to take on “The Iron Man” in his first outing on the global stage, but that doesn’t mean Rodtang is taking his upcoming foe lightly.
The talented 25-year-old has been taking a look at Tabares’ striking game to prepare himself for his latest challenge.
“I cannot know [how good he is] from watching the videos. The videos show he has powerful punches. He has aggressively knocked out many opponents, and so on,” said “The Iron Man.”
“It’s like how I fought with Jacob Smith, who had the most dangerous weapons. But, once we fought, what really happened was absolutely opposite from what they said about him.”
Even though he has been sitting atop the Muay Thai mountain for years, Rodtang knows he is not infallible. That is part of the drive that has led him to become the face of Muay Thai, and he still just wants to go out and show his best self – win or lose.
“I don’t know how great [Tabares] is, but every single fight matters to me. I always do my best. I just want to do each fight my very best, whether I lose or win,” said Rodtang.
“I don’t see myself as an unbeatable superstar. Not at all. I just want to put my all into fighting and do my best in showing who I am. That’s all.”
ONE Fight Night 10 airs live on Friday, May 5, on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET. The action is free for all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada.