Rodtang Jitmuangnon on adjusting to the last-minute opponent change

Rodtang Jitmuangnon admits his last-minute opponent change this Friday night caused him a bit of a hiccup in training but is nevertheless confident in his ability to get the win.

Originally scheduled to face two-time ISKA kickboxing world champion Daniel Puertas at ONE Fight Night 6 on Prime Video, ‘The Iron Man’ will now step into his second career boxing bout under the ONE Championship banner with Chinese striker Jiduo Yibu.

With 40 career wins, ‘The Eagle of Yi’ will look for his first win inside the circle after coming up short in his promotional debut against the aforementioned Daniel Puertas.

Discussing the last-minute change in an interview with ONE Championship, Rodtang revealed that the limited time given to learn about his new opponent caused him to struggle with his preparation:

“I’m fine with it. I respect ONE’s matchmaking decision. I know they will make the best matchup. But I have to admit, I did my homework on my original opponent, but I’ve had limited time to study a new one. It was a little bit of a struggle for me, but it is not a big deal.”

Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Jiduo Yibu along with the entire ONE Fight Night 6 card live in North America for free on Amazon Prime Video.

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Ilias Ennahachi forced the change in opponent for Rodtang Jitmuangnon

Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s opponent change at ONE Fight Night 6 all started with former flyweight kickboxing world champion Ilias Ennahachi. Originally scheduled to defend his title against Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the evening’s co-main event, Ennahachi was forced to withdraw from the bout as he was unable to safely make weight for the bout, vacating the flyweight title in the process.

As a result, Rodtang’s original opponent Daniel Puertas was promoted to the co-main event with Superlek to be crowned a new flyweight world champion while ‘The Iron Man’ was left with a brand new opponent. Despite the sudden change, Rodtang fully supported Ennahachi’s decision to withdraw, saying:

"[Ilias Ennahachi] made the right move. It is better than forcing himself to fight at a catchweight. It also benefits Superlek in that he still has a chance to claim the vacant belt. I’ll wait and see who claims this belt and I’m going to claim it for myself next time."