Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon admitted that heading into his most recent match against Denis Puris, he was under immense pressure and was dealing with a lot of issues. He was just thankful that he was still able to compete and come up with a win.
'The Iron Man' was a unanimous decision winner over 'The Bosnian Menace' in their co-headlining kickboxing showdown at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
It was initially scheduled as a flyweight kickboxing clash until the Thai superstar missed weight, forcing the contest to played at a catchweight of 141.25 pounds.
Rodtang had himself a battle against Puric in their three-round barnburner but his speed and power proved to be more reliable and in the end was rewarded with the unanimous decision victory.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
In the in-ring interview following his victory, the Jitmuangnon Gym athlete shared what he had to go through ahead of his clash with Puric, saying:
"First of all, I'd like to say hi to all the Thai people. First of all, I must say this. It's almost a year since I last fought. Since my last fight, I had an inury and can't really move myself. I kept this as a secret from many people, and I missed weight."
He added:
"A lot people have been saying a lot of harsh things to me. And to be back here, I was under a lot of pressure. And to be fighting and to get this victory, thank you for all."
The win was the 15th for Rodtang in 17 matches under ONE Championship and a bounce-back after losing to fellow Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9 in their epic catchweight Muay Thai clash last September.
Rodtang wants Takeru Segawa next
Now back healthy and competing again, Rodtang Jitmuangnon said he looks to being active moving forward and wants Japanese legend Takeru Segawa next.
'The Iron Man' is fresh from a unanimous decision victory over Denis Puric at ONE 167 on June 7 in Thailand and wants seeks to keep it going .
Among the matches he is eyeing is one with "The Natural Born Crusher," who he was supposed to test in his ONE Championship debut back in January.
Rodtang was slated to take on Takeru in the headlining contest at ONE 165 in a kickboxing superfight until the former had to pull out because of an injury.
The fight still pushed through with Superlek Kiatmoo9 stepping in to take on the Japanese legend and winning by unanimous decision.
In the in-ring interview following his victory over Puric at ONE 167, the Jitmuangnon Gym standout said he wants his clash with Takeru to finally push through, saying:
"I'm coming back to fighting again. In the next fight, I want to fight Takeru. Are you ready, Takeru? Let's go!"
There is no word yet on when the Rodtang-Takeru clash will take place but a possible venue is the scheduled return of ONE Championship in the United States in September.