Rodtang ONE 172: "The champion's champ" - Fans loving the backstage reception Rodtang received from champs Phetjeeja, Jonathan Di Bella

"The champion's champ" - Fans loving the backstage reception Rodtang received from champs Phetjeeja, Jonathan Di Bella

Modified Mar 27, 2025 14:21 GMT

From L-R: Phetjeeja, Rodtang, Jonathan Di Bella [Photos via: ONE Championship]

Rodtang Jitmuangnon was welcomed with open arms by ONE women's atomweight kickboxing world champion Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom and newly crowned ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella following his masterpiece of a performance at ONE 172 on Sunday, March 23. In just 80 seconds, 'The Iron Man' broke the hearts of Japanese fans inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and around the world by knocking out beloved kickboxing hero Takeru Segawa.

In a video shared by ONE on Instagram, Phetjeeja and Di Bella, both carrying 26 pounds of gold on their shoulders, were among the first to greet Rodtang in the backstage area.

Watch the video below:

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The ONE world champions responded to the moment in the comments section:

"😍😍🔥"

"🔥❤️"

Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]

Fans then reacted to the love that Rodtang received from Phetjeeja and Di Bella:

"He is not just the people's champ but also the champion's champ. ❤️😂"

"I LOVE THIS SPORT 👏"

"Love them both. Tank-Di Bella 😍🔥🔥"

"Everyone love him, because he just a humble fighter. Not even he really good in Ring, outside the ring he so Good ❤️"

Chatri Sityodtong hints at what's next for Rodtang after ONE 172 victory

ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong is always looking to give fans what they want, and a trilogy fight with ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty might be in Rodtang's future.

ONE's big boss stated at the ONE 172 post-event press conference:

"Actually, it's going to be [Rodtang versus] Haggerty. We're doing Haggerty versus Rodtang, [for the] next one. But, of course, Rodtang has many fights for him now. You know, he can call his shots now. He'll fight anybody. Rodtang will fight anybody."

Watch the entire press conference below:

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Krishna Venki