ONE Championship fans have witnessed many incredible performances from ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon in his 17-fight tenure. At ONE: Dawn of Heroes in August 2019, he challenged then-holder Jonathan Haggerty for the 135-pound Muay Thai crown.
'The Iron Man' and Haggerty were visibly wary of throwing their power shots early on out of respect for each other's counterstriking abilities. However, Rodtang's near-mythical durability allowed him to walk down 'The General' and land his combinations.
The two stars fought hard until the end, where Rodtang was awarded the unanimous decision victory and the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship.
Relive their five-round war, which ONE shared on YouTube:
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Rodtang met Haggerty again over the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship in January 2020 at ONE: A New Tomorrow, where the Thai megastar produced a TKO in the third round.
The Jitmuangnon Gym star will look to remain the king of the 135-pound Muay Thai division when he defends the crown against Jacob Smith at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' on Nov. 8 inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Jacob Smith gives Rodtang his flowers ahead of ONE 169 rematch
Jacob Smith, whom Rodtang defeated in May 2022, showed respect for Rodtang's achievements as the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion ahead of ONE 169.
The third-ranked ONE flyweight Muay Thai competitor recently told Sportskeeda MMA:
"I respect what he's done. And I'm not going to slate him. At the end of the day, he's been the king of the division pretty much from the start. Or since Sam-A and then Haggerty and then Rodtang."
ONE 169 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.