"Rod the God" - fans enjoy revisiting Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Walter Goncalves ahead of ONE 157 Grand Prix kickoff

Walter Goncalves (left) and Rodtang Jitmuangnon (right) put on a banger back in 2019. (Image courtesy of ONE Championship)
Walter Goncalves (left) and Rodtang Jitmuangnon (right) put on a banger back in 2019. (Image courtesy of ONE Championship)

Fans have been revisiting some of the best Rodtang Jitmuangnon fights ahead of his flyweight Grand Prix quarter-finals bout at ONE 157. The bout people are reminiscing about is the 2019 war between the reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai champ and the Brazilian tactician, Walter Goncalves.

Goncalves was one of the few who came close to beating the seemingly unbreakable Rodtang as he used his timing and tactics to frustrate the champion. Rodtang is known for his unstoppable forward pressure and penchant for getting into slugfests in the pocket. Goncalves picked his shots and tried to frustrate 'The Iron Man' by refusing to engage in a straight brawl.

This, however, never deterred Rodtang Jitmuangnon as he kept pushing forward and getting some hard shots in. This is why he is the champion. No matter what the obstacles, he finds a way to win.

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One fan on Twitter said it best:

"Rod the God. Rodtang. Wutang. Boombang. Big fan."

@__BlueBone__ has some rhyming skills there, but he's not wrong. Rodtang has been nothing short of god-like inside the ONE circle. He's never seen a defeat in ONE Super Series and is looking unstoppable each time out.

Watch the full fight here:

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Rodtang Jitmuangnon takes part in ONE's inaugural flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix

After nearly cleaning out his division, Rodtang will look to add another achievement in his trophy case: a ONE Grand Prix belt.

At ONE 157, 'The Iron Man' will jump into shark-infested waters to take part in ONE Championship's inaugural flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix tournament.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon will welcome Jacob Smith, the No.1-ranked Muay Thai fighter in the UK, to the ONE Circle. Smith will be making his promotional debut by locking horns with arguably the most dominant Muay Thai champion in ONE. Talk about a tough task on your first day on the job.

Goncalves will also be fighting on the same night. He will face Rodtang's arch-rival, Jonathan 'The General' Haggerty. The Brit is a former ONE flyweight Muay Thai champion and was the man whom Rodtang took the belt from. It would be an interesting bout as Haggerty and Goncalves have similar footwork-heavy styles that have given the champ problems in the past.

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Edited by C. Naik
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