ONE 172: Liam Harrison praises Rodtang’s incredible condition in demolition job versus Takeru

Rodtang Jitmuangnon has always been a beast, but at ONE 172, we saw a different version of 'The Iron Man.' Coming into the much-awaited kickboxing super fight with Japanese Legend Takeru Segawa, many expected a back-and-forth war.

Instead, the Thai star shut it down early with a brutal first-round knockout that had Takeru wondering where in the world he was. Many viewers, even fellow Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison, were caught off-guard.

Harrison shared his thoughts in a reaction video with Nick Atkin:

"I thought it was going to be an absolute war. The thing is, that’s what Rodtang can do if he actually trains. He’s been lazy recently, I think he’s missed weight four or five times of late over the last couple of years and he was just turning up out of shape."

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Rodtang admits renewed sense of focus led to his statement-making knockout of Takeru: “This is a new world for Rodtang”

To be fair, Rodtang does have a renewed hunger in the ring. It's a brighter flame burning inside him, driven by a desire to right past wrongs and earn a double bonus.

Gone was the version of 'The Iron Man' who grew complacent, coasting into bouts underprepared. This time, he showed up at peak condition - and this shift wasn't just physical.

"I remind myself every day during training on how successful I was and why I became famous in the first place," he said. "And now I'm really dedicated. I have no break. I train every day, and I want to say thank you to Chatri for recommending Peter [Miller], his nutritionist, who's been helping him very much with his condition. It feels like this is a new world for Rodtang right now."

The double bonus remained elusive that night, but the Thai legend did earn a $50,000 performance bonus for his stunning knockout of Takeru.

ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang is available via replay on watch.onefc.com