Rodtang Jitmuangnon says fight against Jiduo Yibu "will be completely different"

ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion and perhaps the most famous Muay Thai fighter in the world today, Rodtang Jitmuangnon, will be venturing into the world of kickboxing.

At ONE Fight Night on Prime Video 6 on January 13, 'The Iron Man' will be facing China's Jiduo Yibu in a three-round kickboxing bout.

Originally scheduled to face Daniel Puertas, Rodtang had a change of opponent when the Spanish kickboxer was promoted to the co-main event.

Regardless of who he is facing, however, trying his luck in another combat sport is a huge move for Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

There's reason to believe that he might be looking for a run at the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title, making him a two-sport world champion. Rodtang's path towards that lofty distinction begins with Jiduo inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Rodtang spoke about his upcoming matchup. Regarding the fact that Jiduo is a southpaw, 'The Iron Man' said:

"Daniel [Puertas], my previous opponent, has an orthodox style but the new one [Jiduo Yibu] is a southpaw. It will be completely different. I have to change my game plan to walk toward him instead. Anyway, I have a lot of experience fighting with southpaws, so I have no problem with it. The only problem is, this is a kickboxing match. I have to go forward more and utilize more footwork, because kickboxing and Muay Thai are different."

Though they look similar, there are quite a few differences between the sport of Muay Thai and kickboxing. In Muay Thai, fighters are allowed to throw knees and elbows in the clinch for prolonged periods of time.

Muay Thai allows kick-catching and leg sweeps to bring fighters down. None of these are allowed in kickboxing. Add all that to the fact that Jiduo is fighting the opposite stance to what Rodtang has been preparing for, then we'll see a very interesting bout come January 13.

---

Rodtang Jitmuangnon obliterated Joseph Lasiri in his last outing

In his last appearance inside the circle, Rodtang Jitmuangnon successfully defended his throne against ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champ Joseph Lasiri. The champion vs. champion bout happened in the co-main event of ONE on Prime Video 4.

Despite Lasiri being one of the most renowned world champions in ONE Championship today, Rodtang made it look like the Italian-Moroccan didn't belong in the cage with him. 'The Iron Man' constantly stalked 'The Hurricane' and battered him from pillar to post.

As per his usual fight demeanor, Rodtang Jitmuangnon looked intensely fired up and never allowed Lasiri a chance to mount any offense. Simply put, Rodtang battered Lasiri like he owed him money en route to a unanimous decision win.

He'll look to repeat the feat at ONE Fight Night 6.