Rodtang Jitmuangnon not letting ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title out of Thailand

After lifting the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship belt from Jonathan Haggerty at ONE: Dawn of Heroes, Rodtang Jitmuangnon will be defending his title for the first time at ONE: Century Part II on October 13 at the iconic Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan against Walter Goncalves of Brazil. 

Rodtang can hardly contain his excitement.

“I am really excited to defend my World Title for the first time, especially on such an important card,” Rodtang said.

“I’m really excited to return to Japan as well. I have a lot of fans there, and it will be great to perform for them again. Japan really embraces martial arts, so it is always a lot of fun to fight there.”

The Brazillian challenger has a standing record of 65-5-0, in contrast to the Thai’s impressive 257-41-10. Despite the difference in records, the two warriors have similar fighting styles — both are aggressive in the ring because of their early training in Muay Thai.

“I like to fight people with a similar style to me – people willing to trade. It is a lot of fun,” Rodtang said. “I think my experience will be too much for him, and that my overall conditioning will be better than his. “I’m ready to trade with him, but I am not going to underestimate him either. He’s an accomplished fighter. I won’t change my style, that is what people love about me.”

The Jitmuangnon Gym representative’s hard work paid off when he won the belt, and he plans to do whatever it takes to keep it around his waist.

“It is easier to win a World Title than it is to defend it. I’ll need to train even harder,” Rodtang concluded. “I have to win – I have to keep this World Title. The Muay Thai World Title must stay with a Thai. I intend to win and keep this belt with me for a long time.”

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/3/2019.