Rodtang admits losing flyweight Muay Thai belt awakened the beast inside him: “A huge motivation for me”

Losing his flyweight Muay Thai world title on the scales was a massive wake-up call for Rodtang Jitmuangnon. 'The Iron Man' successfully fended off all comers and defended the belt from world-class contenders five times.

Unfortunately for the highest-paid Muay Thai fighter in the world, his reign ended outside of combat due to a mishap of his own doing.

Rodtang had to surrender his 26 pounds of gold after missing weight at ONE 169 last year. The Thai megastar still dominated Jacob Smith as expected but was disappointed about failing to meet the demands of the scales.

That pain only fortified Rodtang's strong will, and he's using it as motivation in his long-overdue clash with Takeru Segawa. The former flyweight Muay Thai kingpin told ONE:

"Of course, I felt so sad because I had kept the belt for so long. I can defend it all the time, but I lost it on the scale, not to my opponent. I was devastated. But it was a huge motivation for me."

With his inner fire burning as bright as ever, the 27-year-old berserker will look to make a statement performance in the main event of ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang.

Don't miss this epic spectacle taking place on March 23 at Japan's Saitama Super Arena, which will air live via global PPV at watch.onefc.com.

Rodtang acknowledges Takeru as a worthy opponent

Despite the heated face-offs he's had with Takeru, Rodtang maintains a high level of respect towards his ONE 172 adversary.

'The Iron Man' even admitted his admiration for the Japanese superstar's incredible heart, which is backed by his elite striking skills.

Rodtang had this to say about 'The Natural Born Krusher' in the same interview:

"Takeru is a true Japanese superstar. He has a unique kickboxing style. This guy has dangerous weapons. He's also very fast and has a lot of unorthodox moves. I often do homework with my trainers. We are trying to develop countermeasures for his game."