"The more fired up he gets" - Rodtang's first world title duel against Jonathan Haggerty still has fans hyped for more

After sweeping his first four fights in ONE Championship, Rodtang Jitmuangnon was given the golden opportunity by the promotion to fight for the world title in August 2019 at ONE: Dawn of Heroes against Jonathan Haggerty.

The two striking sensations lit up the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, with their barnburner fight, and the promotion recently reposted the full fight replay of the bout.

They wrote the video's description with:

"Before ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang defends his belt in a rematch with British warrior Jacob Smith on Nov. 8, look back at his first World Title battle with reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion and former flyweight and bantamweight Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES in 2019!"

'The Iron Man' and 'The General' put on an incredible back-and-forth match, as the former relied on his heavy boxing artillery and combinations, while the latter maximized his kicks more.

However, the judges have given Rodtang the unanimous decision, birthing a new era in the flyweight Muay Thai division with its newest king.

This instant classic between the Thai and British superstars has received approval from fans, as users @rajadey4072, @honkler1443, @Kiiiil44, @Aleatorio-Super, and @mohamadfirdaus5561 praised both fighters, and some even calling for a trilogy fight through their comments:

"The thing about Rodtang is that, the more he gets beat up, the more fired up he gets. But that's probably not healthy on the long term."

"The ability to come back from the most crazy shots is insane by Haggerty"

"What a great show 👏 Rodtang is a true men's idol, hopefully Rodtang can defend his belt against Smith and still, God willing"

"Rodtang maintains a strong stance without losing concentration throughout the fight, while Haggerty gets angry about taking some hits and loses his fighting stance hahaha"

"Rodtang vs haggerty 3 please"

Screenshot of fans' comments

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Lito Adiwang says that Rodtang's fight IQ is something that is underrated

Ahead of his world title defense against No. 3-ranked divisional contender Jacob Smith in the co-main event of ONE 169 on Nov. 8, which emanates from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Rodtang has received high compliments from Filipino MMA star Lito Adiwang.

In a recent interview, the 'Thunder Kid' mentioned that the Jitmuangnon Gym representative's ability to adjust on the fly during his matches is something that most fighters and fans have overlooked, as he stated:

"His fight IQ is also something else, where he studies your moves and predicts your next one and then suddenly throws power shots at you."