"We make one another bleed" - Rodtang urges Tawanchai and Superbon to put friendship aside for violence at ONE 170

ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai is preparing to defend his title in yet another huge fight.

In recent times, the divisional king has found himself going up against his fellow countrymen in some of the best contests in recent times.

There is mutual respect between him and Superbon as seen in their first encounter at ONE Friday Fights 46 in 2023.

In the main event of ONE 170, they're set to run it back on Jan. 24 as the ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion challenges for the Muay Thai gold.

Another superstar competitor that has also experienced what it is like to compete against a fellow elite Thai is Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

For a long time, 'The Iron Man' wasn't so keen on the idea but when it eventually came together, he and Superlek put on an instant classic for all of the fans.

Rodtang spoke in a recent interview with ONE Championship about how after trading blows with 'The Kicking Machine', they put this behind them and continued to be friends.

They didn't let their relationship outside of the ring get mixed up with their striking clash and he urges Tawanchai and Superbon to do the same:

"I have never thought, like, 'We both are Thais, maybe we should...' No. I respect Superlek. When we fight, we make one another bleed. I struck him brutally, too. After the match, we are still brothers. We play soccer and hang out with one another."

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Tawanchai has something to prove in this fight

Tawanchai still has a bad taste in his mouth from the last time that he locked horns with a fellow Thai competitor.

In his one and only fight of 2024, he defended his title in a rematch with Jo Nattawut at the Impact Arena in Bangkok.

The champ received some criticism in the aftermath of a close fight with 'Smokin' Jo and on his return to the same venue, he will look to put this behind him once and for all.

ONE 170 will be available at watch.onefc.com.