“It was very difficult to fight someone who doesn’t feel anything” – Joseph Lasiri says Rodtang was truly indestructible

ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Joseph Lasiri experienced firsthand how “indestructible” Rodtang Jitmuangnon is and came away impressed.

‘The Hurricane’ challenged ‘The Iron Man’ for his flyweight Muay Thai gold in November last year. He went the full route but not after emptying his cache of weapons just to stand toe-to-toe with the Thai superstar.

Despite the immense effort he put in, Joseph Lasiri still fell short, losing by unanimous decision. He recently spoke to the South China Morning Post and shared his experience in fighting against Rodtang.

The Italian-Moroccan champion said:

“In the fight against Rodtang, it was hard. We expected that before we went to fight [facing his style] and I remember when I fought Rodtang it was like round for round, you have to change something.

"It was very difficult to move forward against him and it was very difficult to fight against someone that doesn’t feel pressure, who doesn’t feel anything. He was very quiet [as in he doesn’t feel any punches or strikes]. And this impressed me a lot.”

Watch the interview below:

Armed with the lessons he got from the Rodtang fight, Joseph Lasiri makes his long-awaited return to ONE action at ONE Friday Fights 46 on December 22 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

He will take on interim ONE strawweight Muay Thai title holder Prajanchai PK Saenchai in a unification bout, which is also a rematch between the two world-class strikers.

32-year-old Lasiri seeks to make it two wins over the Thai champion, who he defeated by technical knockout in the third round of their first encounter in May last year.

ONE Friday Fights 46 is headlined by the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship clash between Thai superstars Tawanchai PK Saenchai and Superbon Singha Mawynn. It is available live and for free through ONE Championship’s YouTube channel and Facebook, or the ONE Super App.

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Joseph Lasiri grateful to ONE for advancing Muay Thai

Joseph Lasiri appreciates the efforts that ONE Championship has put in to advance the sport of Muay Thai and provide athletes like him a chance to make a good living out of it.

The Kick and Punch Milano standout has been part of the promotion since 2018 and has steadily made his way to the top, punctuated by his victory over Pranjachai PK Saenchai in May last year to become the new ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion.

In an interview with onefc.com last year, Lasiri shared his gratitude to ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong and the whole organization for what they have done for the “art of eight limbs.”

He said:

“I thank Mr. Chatri [Sityodtong] for giving us this opportunity to be professional Muay Thai fighters, not only in Thailand but in Europe too. So this one is a big opportunity for us. I respect this because it means a lot to me.”

Joseph Lasiri will return to action at ONE Friday Fights 46 on December 22, where he will defend his world title in a rematch against Prajanchai, the interim strawweight Muay Thai title holder.

‘The Hurricane’ was last in action in November 2022, when he vied for the flyweight Muay Thai gold against reigning champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon but lost.

Prajanchai, meanwhile, fought back in September, winning by unanimous decision over Algerian Akram Hamidi in their strawweight kickboxing showdown.