The highly-anticipated showdown between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Superlek Kiatmoo9 has a slight change ahead of their match on Friday, September 22nd. Superlek missed weight on Thursday, rendering the match a non-title affair. However, the match will proceed at ONE Friday Fights 34 as a 140-pound catchweight contest.
Superlek Misses, Title Fight No More at ONE Friday Fights 34
Unfortunately, the bout will go from being a five-round title match to a three-round affair. While fans may lament losing two rounds, both competitors were eyeing potential knockouts. The shorter time frame may force their hands into being more aggressive in Bangkok.
“This is part of my plan, to be more aggressive for this fight. I’ve been preparing myself and planning with every fighter I’ve ever fought with. Also, I want to show my skill to everyone around the world that I can be more aggressive than technical,” Superlek said on media day.
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has predicted a knockout for the main event battle. Sityodtong called it a “kill or be killed” stylistic clash. Given the hype surrounding the match, the leader of the martial arts giant expects huge viewership to enjoy an amazing night of Muay Thai.
“Very, very few people knew about Muay Thai outside of Thailand. Today, not only do we have Superlek and Rodtang, the biggest fight in 50 years. Everybody in the Muay Thai community wants to see it in Thailand. Actually, the entire country wants to see. We have truly global broadcast live reach, 190 countries around the world with ONE. ONE’s always had a huge brand around the world, huge fans, and this will be by far the most watched Muay Thai event in history on the planet, but also the most watched [Muay Thai] fight in history on the planet,” Sityodtong said.
ONE Friday Fights 34 airs on ONE’s official YouTube channel on Friday, September 22nd. The event emanates from Bangkok, Thailand, and Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. The action begins at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 PT.
