American audiences will finally get to see “The Iron Man” live when Rodtang Jitmuangnon comes to Colorado for ONE Fight Night 10 on Friday, May 5. ONE Championship has stacked its inaugural U.S. event with top talent from start to finish, and Rodtang is a featured athlete that will garner significant attention. And he is thankful for the opportunity.
Rodtang Amped to Show and Grow Muay Thai in the United States
“I’d like to thank ONE Championship for giving me this opportunity to show the art of Muay Thai to everyone all over the world and to have everyone in the U.S. love Muay Thai even more and admire and support Muay Thai more,” Rodtang told ONE.
The Thai superstar will defend the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship against Edgar Tabares in the co-main event of the evening. Tasked with defending his gold on Prime Video, Rodtang knows there is weight on his shoulders. He is carrying the banner of Muay Thai into the 1stBank Center and hoping to continue to grow the sport worldwide.
“Of course, there is pressure. But I think if I can create this pressure for myself, I can create support for myself, too, so when the day comes, I can show my Muay Thai style. I want to fight in my own style and show the uniqueness of Muay Thai to the world – whatever the result might be,” said “The Iron Man.”
The co-main event will mark the ONE debut for Tabares. The Mexican athlete has caught Rodtang’s attention on film, but the reigning flyweight king knows experiencing his power in person will be different. However, he remains immensely confident he will end the night with his hand raised.
“I cannot know [how good he is] from watching the videos. The videos show he has powerful punches. He has aggressively knocked out many opponents, and so on. It’s like how I fought with Jacob Smith, who had the most dangerous weapons [in his previous fights]. But once we fought, what really happened was absolutely opposite from what they said about him,” said Rodtang.
While Rodtang wants to defend his gold and have a huge night in Colorado, his focus is on putting on an entertaining fight for the fans. It is that style that has brought him to the apex of the sport and to bring Muay Thai to a whole new audience with ONE. And while more challengers await, Rodtang merely wants to step inside the Circle and deliver memorable performances that showcase his skills.
“I don’t know how great [Tabares] is, but every single fight matters to me. I always do my best. I just want to do each fight my very best, whether I lose or win. I don’t see myself as an unbeatable superstar. Not at all. I just want to put my all into fighting and do my best in showing who I am. That’s all,” said Rodtang.
ONE Fight Night 10 airs live from the 1stBank Center on Friday, May 5. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Prime Video. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.
