#2. Rodtang Jitmuangnon, ONE flyweight Muay Thai - stands to gain
Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s nickname may be ‘The Iron Man', but he had a very contrasting life compared to the Marvel Comics superhero, who dons a red suit made from gold-titanium alloy. The Thai fighter was never born into riches and lived a difficult life from a very young age.
However, Muay Thai turned his life around. The athlete with 319 professional fights to his name is a real-life superhero. He loves to fight and packs a unique mixture of aggression and showmanship in every bout, making him the perfect combat sports athlete to watch.
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So, when ONE came up with the idea for a super-fight against Demetrious Johnson in their biggest card to date, the young star didn't need to think twice. Rodtang views Mighty Mouse’ as a legend, but in this match at least, expect him to throw away his respect for the 12-time flyweight world champion.
Rodtang is going to use this bout to see whether or not his newfound grappling skills will be enough for him to attempt a career in MMA. If he can mix it up with the MMA GOAT in the second and fourth rounds – set to be judged under MMA ruleset – fans can expect the happy-go-lucky athlete to shift his focus from Muay Thai to the all-encompassing sport.
#3. Reinier de Ridder, ONE middleweight and light heavyweight - stands to gain
Like Rodtang and Folayang, Reinier de Ridder has nothing to lose at ONE X. The two-division MMA world champion’s grappling has helped him get past every opponent in his career to date. The Combat Brothers representative, who boasts a 15-0 professional resume, will take a short detour from his dominant displays in 4oz gloves to focus on a submission grappling contest against Andre Galvao.
Both the Dutchman and Galvao are Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts. They have devoted their lives to achieving this feat, so fans can expect them to get gridlocked in a tight affair on the canvas as soon as their 12-minute single-round contest starts.
De Ridder believes he can outclass the multi-time BJJ world champion on the mats. He sees himself choking the BJJ icon out and admits it will be a career-defining win.
Even if things don’t go his way, the two-division world champion will take this defeat with his chin held up high.
He will gain valuable experience rolling against one of the greatest practitioners of ‘the gentle art’, while trying to fix the little flaws in his ground game, meaning whoever takes him on next can expect a better version of de Ridder.