Rodtang Jitmuangnon took home the win against Jacob Smith at the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world Grand Prix quarterfinals.
This past Friday, ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Jitmuangnon showcased his abilities to get past his next opponent in the tournament. Competing against Jacob Smith, Rodtang smashed through the Englishman in a violent showcase.
Rodtang moves to semi-finals
Rodtang has solidified his place in the semi-finals of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix after dominating Smith throughout the three rounds.
Smith was visibly leaking a lot of blood having been bruised and battered by ‘The Iron Man’. After opening up strong in the first two minutes, Smith’s competitiveness began to fade away. The 24-year-old wasted no time in utilizing his skills to cut open Smith with a series of fierce elbow strikes.
The second and third rounds were more or less the same as the second half of the first. Rodtang continued to mix up his striking game using an effective concoction of vicious elbows, punches, and crippling leg kicks.
While Smith lasted all three rounds to take it to the judges’ scorecards, it was not a hard one to decide. Rodtang was declared the winner of the fight at ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot and took home an extra $50,000 bonus for his performance.
Check the highlights below:
Rodtang is on a RAMPAGE! 😤#ONE157 | #ONEChampionship | https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/6rxcidR9Vj
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 20, 2022
Rodtang is so good man pic.twitter.com/31Srdc3E2w
— Brock’s Load (@_MMAMindset) May 20, 2022
☑️ Catch
☑️ Counter
☑️ Sweep
🔥 Rodtang's ON FIRE! #ONE157 | #ONEChampionship | https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/ls4XRUH4Rs— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 20, 2022
Mixed rules contest against Demetrious Johnson
In March, Rodtang participated in a unique matchup against the legendary mixed martial artist Demetrious Johnson. The pair faced off in a hybrid MMA/Muay Thai ruleset bout at ONE X, ONE Championship’s biggest event to date.
For the tenth anniversary event, the promotion put on 10 hours of exhilarating fights. Johnson’s matchup with Rodtang served as the co-main event. The contest switched between Muay Thai rules in the first and third round, and MMA ruleset for the second and fourth.
DJ survived Rodtang’s onsluaght in the first round to submit the Thai fighter in the second. Rodtang did not tap and chose to go to sleep in the unfamiliar settings.
