Muay Thai megastar Rodtang Jitmuangnon is fully cognizant of his past weight misses and recently bared his thoughts on the situation well ahead of his much-anticipated return to the ring at ONE Samurai 1 on Wednesday, April 29.
He said as much in an interview with ONE Championship.
“ONE Championship is very strict in weighing and water percentage. It is very challenging for all fighters, including a highly experienced one like me, because you need to keep yourself hydrated while reducing your body weight,” he said.
“Honestly, that is very challenging. But everyone made it. And then one day, I made that mistake. It is inevitable. I just accept the reality and keep going. That’s all.”
Rodtang and His Weight Woes Are Well Documented
Rodtang has competed in ONE’s flyweight Muay Thai and kickboxing divisions for most of his eight-year tenure, and the criticism levied against him by fans of the world’s largest martial arts promotion is not without evidence. The first sign of trouble happened in January 2023 at ONE on Prime Video 6, where he came in at 136.5 pounds in his kickboxing matchup with Jiduo Yibu—1.5 pounds over the flyweight limit. The fight proceeded at a catchweight of 136.5 pounds, where Rodtang handily dominated the Chinese standout.
The second time was even worse. The Jitmuangnon Gym star came in 6.25 pounds over the limit for his marquee matchup with kickboxing legend Denis Puric in June 2024. He also won that bout via unanimous decision.
However, the worst of his weight misses was at ONE 169 in November that same year. Rodtang was supposed to defend the gold against Jacob Smith in the co-main event, but missed the limit by just half a pound this time. This infraction was deemed too much by ONE management, and he was stripped of the crown.
Rodtang Faces a Legend
Despite his struggles, the 28-year-old only has one goal heading into ONE Samurai 1, where he will go toe-to-toe with Japanese legend Takeru Segawa once again for the ONE interim flyweight kickboxing world championship.
“I want to be loved by everyone because it’s a sport. People win and people lose. I would like the world, including Takeru’s Japanese fans, to appreciate both Takeru and me.”
ONE Samurai 1 takes place inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Watch the PPV event live on live.onefc.com.
