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After dominating the flyweight division for years, Rodtang Jitmuangnon believes a move to bantamweight could be in order.
On Friday night, ‘The Iron Man’ will return to the Circle for a showdown years in the making. Stepping into the main event spotlight inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Rodtang will put his ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title on the line against perhaps the most dangerous striker in the art of eight limbs today, Superlek.
Depending on how things play out in their ONE Friday Fights 34 headliner, fans could potentially see Rodtang make the move from flyweight to bantamweight. At least, that’s what ‘The Iron Man’ indicated during a recent interview with Antoine Pinto.
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“To be honest, I’ve been doing this weight class for four to five years, a long time,” Rodtang said. “Not sure if I’m growing, but what do you think? I think I’m growing, so it’s like 70kg now. Yeah, but if you ask if I can slim down, the answer is yes. I have my own techniques to get myself back in shape.”
Should Rodtang make the move to bantamweight, he could find himself matched up with a familiar foe.
Jonathan Haggerty, a former flyweight world champion, made his own move to bantamweight and immediately set the Muay Thai world on fire when he landed a vicious first-round knockout of Nong-O Hama to capture the bantamweight Muay Thai world title. Before moving up a weight class, ‘The General’ had competed against Rodtang on two separate occasions, coming up short in both meetings.
Haggerty would undoubtedly love the opportunity to complete the trilogy and earn a win over Rodtang, but first, he’ll have to deal with his next opponent, the current king of the bantamweight MMA division, Fabricio Andrade, at ONE Fight Night 16 in November. Until then, you can catch Rodtang vs. Superlek live and for free this Friday night.
ONE Friday Fights 34 is available on the ONE Super App, the official ONE Championship YouTube channel, and other digital platforms.
