Rodtang Jitmuangnon invites Tenshin Nasukawa to train and spar with him at Fairtex ahead of Demetrious Johnson fight at ONE X

Rodtang Jitmuangnon is looking to get some work done with one of Japan’s rising talents in Tenshin Nasukawa as he prepares for his match against Demetrious Johnson at ONE X.

In his latest Instagram post, the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion made a video addressing Nasukawa:

He wrote in the caption:

“Hey @tenshin.nasukawa, let's train together in Thailand. Your LAST kickboxing fight and my EPIC fight against DJ!!🔥 #ONEX รออยู่นะคับเทนชิน (I’m waiting for you Tenshin)”

The two have fought once in June 2018, which the Japanese star won amid a bit of controversy in the decision.

They each went on their roads to success, with the Thai warrior tearing through the competition on the global stage of ONE Championship and Nasukawa dominating the kickboxing scene in Japan. Nasukawa flirted with the idea of signing with ONE Championship in the past. However, his current contract with RISE has prevented him from progressing further.

Early last year, Nasukawa expressed his desire to transition to boxing. This desire could have been influenced by the huge payday he received after fighting Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition fight in December 2018.

He had hoped that his last kickboxing bout would be against Rodtang, but contract conflicts have come in the way of making it happen. Instead, Nasukawa agreed to a fight against K-1 three-weight champion Takeru Segawa in a kickboxing bout in June 2022 -- his farewell fight in the sport that made him famous.

With their careers diverging soon, 'The Iron Man' has proposed this training session in Thailand before his Japanese contemporary completely transitions out of kickboxing.

Who knows? Maybe the home of Muay Thai could spark a renewed interest for Nasukawa to stay the course of kickboxing and perhaps even pave the way for a rematch with Rodtang down the line.

Still, the idea of these two prodigies exchanging knowledge during training would be mutually beneficial in their respective preparations.

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Rodtang boldly claims to finish Demetrious Johnson in the first round

Rodtang’s special rules match is much closer and confirmed than Nasukawa’s. The ONE star looks ready and confident to pick up the win against Demetrious Johnson on March 26.

Through an Instagram post, the Thai warrior posted a picture of how the match rules will be distributed through four rounds:

His caption is both a promise to fans and a message to DJ:

“At ONE X, Demetrious Johnson will not make it out of the first round.”

It will be easier said than done, as Johnson is considered one of the greatest of all time in MMA. Johnson will also be prepared to take shots from 'The Iron Man'.

Should they reach the second round, Rodtang’s ground game will be tested for sure. ‘Mighty Mouse’ will surely turn up the pressure to keep the fight from going back to his opponent’s bread and butter.

Find out how their fight unfolds at ONE X on Saturday, March 26.