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ONE Championship CEO reveals Rodtang ‘Was not training at all’ before booking a superfight with Superlek

Rodtang Reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon is training harder than he has in years for his highly anticipated clash with Superlek Kiatmoo9. On September 22, the two Thai superstars will step inside the ring at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for a fight that fans have been dreaming about for years. The […]

Reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon is training harder than he has in years for his highly anticipated clash with Superlek Kiatmoo9.

On September 22, the two Thai superstars will step inside the ring at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for a fight that fans have been dreaming about for years. The pair were scheduled to scrap in March, but Rodtang withdrew from the contest, citing an injury sustained while training. However, ‘The Iron Man’ would go on to defend his title against Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5, leading many to believe that ‘The Iron Man’ pulled out of the fight for fear of losing.

“Before the fight was made, everyone around the world said Rodtang was scared and the fights would never happen but I know these guys behind the scenes,” ONE CEO and founder Chatri Sityodtong said in an interview with the South China Morning Post. “I talk to these guys all the time. Rodtang is not scared of anybody. This guy is on a tear and a high in his career. He hasn’t been beaten in many years. When you have that confidence you’re unbreakable.”

Both men enter the bout undefeated in the art of eight limbs under the ONE banner, but they got there through very different means. While Superlek is known for his incredible discipline and work ethic, already fighting four times in 2023, ‘The Iron Man’ has a penchant for taking things relatively easy during training camp.

“Talk to experts around the world and in Thailand. People think Superlek is going to win, but I don’t know. The more I think … Rodtang has been training very hard. He was not training at all before, I think he trained two days for the Edgar Tabares fight, literally a two-day camp, and his wife outed him on that one. I had no idea he trained two days, but that’s the level of talent he has,” Sityodtong said.

Despite the lack of training, Rodtang has scored 12 straight Muay Thai victories in ONE Championship, beating some of the biggest names in the sport including current ONE world champions Joseph Lasiri and Jonathan Haggerty on two separate occasions.

Sityodtong believes Rodtang’s casual approach to training could ultimately cost him, but acknowledged that ‘The Iron Man’ is taking his fight with Superlek seriously and is training harder than he has in years for the long-awaited showdown.

“That’s the downfall of every great fighter. When you saw [Mike] Tyson in his heyday when he was coming up he was disciplined, training like a madman. But towards the end of his career when he lost to Buster Douglas, he started having problems at home and then he didn’t train. Eventually got knocked out, it happens to the best of them,” Sityodtong said.

“But Rodtang is very motivated, and he’s been training very hard every day. From my understanding from both camps, they are both in unbelievable shape.”

Rodtang is the Highest Paid Fighter in the History of Muay Thai

Today, Rodtang ranks as the highest-paid Muay Thai fighter in the history of the sport, earning 10 million baht, or roughly $285,000 per fight. That success has allowed ‘The Iron Man’ to buy a home for his parents, a dream car for himself, and amass a very respectable collection of shoes. But as we’ve seen with fighters like Irish megastar Conor McGregor, money changes everything. Rodtang is still competing and dominating at the highest level, but if he doesn’t focus on the task at hand, he could find himself on the losing end for the first time in years.

“It’s human nature,” Sityodtong added. “When you have nothing you are willing to train all day, all night. When you have everything, it really takes a special extraordinary athlete to say I want to train even harder and be the very best in history. I think that it’s widely known Rodtang doesn’t train very hard. Ever since he won the world title in ONE, he hasn’t been razor-sharp and trained every day.

“When you have a two-day training camp, that’s pretty insane to me, actually that was shocking to me. Whereas Superlek is known to be very disciplined. He trains day in, day out, whether he has a fight or not. To each his own at the end of the day. Rodtang is fighting for his family, Superlek too, and for the right to be the pound-for-pound best in the world.

“By now, both are so experienced, each has fought 300 fights. I think Rodtang is up to 400. These are killers who have been fighting all their lives. They know their bodies and how to peak, they also know how to relax and stay calm and level-headed. A lot of times in camp, when you’re training hard and being singular-minded, you can almost mentally mess with yourself before you even step in the ring, so I think [the water park visit] is Rodtang’s way of letting the steam off.”

Fight fans can catch Rodtang vs. Superlek as part of ONE Championship’s stacked ONE Friday Fights 34 event on September 22. The festivities are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. EST and will air live and for free on the promotion’s YouTube channel.

Demetrious Johnson takes home gold at IBJJF Masters World Championship in Las Vegas

ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson took home gold following his appearance at the IBJJF Masters World Championships in Las Vegas. Mighty Mouse’ is considered by many to be the greatest flyweight fighter in the history of the sport after capturing world titles in both the UFC and ONE Championship. Currently, Demetrious Johnson reigns as […]

ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson took home gold following his appearance at the IBJJF Masters World Championships in Las Vegas.

Mighty Mouse’ is considered by many to be the greatest flyweight fighter in the history of the sport after capturing world titles in both the UFC and ONE Championship. Currently, Demetrious Johnson reigns as the ONE flyweight champion, but the pound-for-pound great is taking some time away from the cage to test his skills on the mat. This week, Johnson headed to the Las Vegas Convention Center for the biggest jiu-jitsu tournament in the world, the IBJJF Masters.

Johnson swapped out his four-ounce gloves for a gi, competing as a brown belt in the Master 2 division for competitors aged 35 and up.

Demetrious Johnson fait ses débuts
IBJJF !

pic.twitter.com/99ug7K1zdk

— LL ® (@Lutalivreandco_) August 31, 2023

Per a report from Bloody Elbow, Demetrious Johnson took home gold in his division, winning six matches, including a 10-0 shutout in the tournament finals. Not too shabby for a guy who hasn’t competed in a submission grappling tournament for nearly two decades.

With his run at Worlds now in the books, ‘Mighty Mouse’ will inevitably take a long hard look at what comes next in the world of mixed martial arts. Should he choose to keep things going, Johnson will likely defend his ONE flyweight world title against Kairat Akhmetov inside the ONE Championship Circle. But with nothing left to prove, Johnson could understandably walk away from the sport with his name already etched in the MMA history books.

Ex-UFC champion Demetrious Johnson believes ‘MMA is the easiest sport’ to win a world title.

If you want to be a world champion, Demetrious Johnson believes there’s no easier place to do it than in the world of mixed martial arts. The reigning ONE flyweight world champion is currently taking some time away from the sport to reflect on his future after nearly 20 years of dominance. During the course […]

If you want to be a world champion, Demetrious Johnson believes there’s no easier place to do it than in the world of mixed martial arts.

The reigning ONE flyweight world champion is currently taking some time away from the sport to reflect on his future after nearly 20 years of dominance. During the course of his career, Demetrious Johnson has captured both the UFC and ONE flyweight titles while defeating some of the biggest names in the sport. As a result, ‘Mighty Mouse’ is considered by many to be one of, if not the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the history of the sport.

But that didn’t stop Johnson from kinda-sorta discrediting his own work by suggesting that it was easier to win a world title in MMA than in other sports, specifically boxing.

“That’s the thing about boxing,” Johnson said on TikTok. “Mixed Martial Arts is the easiest sport to become champion in. When you fight boxing, it’s boxing. Every person you fight in boxing is going to be good in boxing… when you fight mixed martial arts, you’re gonna have people who have significant big holes in them, right? You have a guy like Alex Pereira…6-1 and he becomes a champion in mixed martial arts. You can have no wrestling experience and become a world champion. You look at Brock Lesnar, he became a world champion and he had no stand-up experience whatsoever.

“That’s why I feel MMA is the easiest to become a world champion…you can have deficiencies and still become a champion. In boxing, you can’t, you have to be a good boxer to become a world champion, you just have to” (h/t MMA News).

Demetrious Johnson Has Dominated the Competition in Multiple Organizations

Amassing a record of 25-4 since making his pro MMA debut in 2009, Demetrious Johnson quickly rose to prominence by becoming the first-ever UFC flyweight world champion three years later. He successfully defended the title an astonishing 11 times before finally being bested by Henry Cejudo via a split decision in their UFC 227 rematch.

Following the loss, Demetrious Johnson was part of a first-of-its-kind trade that saw ‘Mighty Mouse’ move over to Asia-based promotion ONE Championship in exchange for former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren. Since making his move to ONE, Johnson has curated a 6-1 record and came out on top in a trilogy with ex-titleholder Adriano Moraes. Johnson also made history, competing in the promotion’s first hybrid-rules fight with Muay Thai icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon. DJ defeated ‘The Iron Man’ via a second-round rear-naked choke.

Demetrious Johnson responds to Aljamain Sterling’s fight offer ahead of UFC 292: ‘I would eat his ass up’

Former undisputed flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson has scoffed at the clinch game and work of incumbent bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling following a bizarre offer from the Uniondale native ahead of UFC 292 this weekend. Johnson, the inaugural flyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, currently holds the undisputed flyweight equivalent under the scrutiny of […]

Johnson, the inaugural flyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, currently holds the undisputed flyweight equivalent under the scrutiny of the Chatri Sityodtong-led ONE Championship banner.

Yet to confirm plans on his potential retirement from mixed martial arts competition, Kentucky native, Johnson recently booked an outing in submission grappling, having remained sidelined since landing a trilogy rubber match win over Adriano Moraes in a flyweight title defense earlier this year.

And as for Sterling, the undisputed bantamweight champion is slated to headline UFC 292 this weekend in Boston, Massachusetts, taking on surging challenger, Sean O’Malley at the TD Garden in a fourth attempted successful title defense.

Demetrious Johnson scoffs at Aljamain Sterling’s ability

However, ahead of his return to ‘Bean Town’, Sterling made a leftfield proposition to Johnson, claiming he would be interested in fighting him if the former wanted to earn revenge for his prior win over common-foe, Henry Cejudo.

Breaking down a potential clash with the Serra-Longo MMA staple, Johnson claimed that in a clinch exchange, Sterling leaves a lot to be desired.

“I feel his (Aljamain Sterling) weakness is he has no clinch game,” Demetrious Johnson told MMA Fighting. “Like, I would eat his ass up for breakfast in the clinch game. I feel like rhythm-wise, I move way better than he does on the feet – grappling; he is longer, so I would never let him get my f*cking back, because he’ll lock them f*cking ‘Funkmaster’ legs in a body triangle like he did on Petr Yan, and they’ll have to survive him doing that.”

“The one thing he does that helps to my advantage is that he crosses a distance for me, right,” Demetrious Johnson explained. “He does this [jabs] and a funky-ass kick, and I’m like, ‘Perfect, come here, I wanna show you a thing called a Muay Thai clinch.’ I just feel like I’ll eat him alive in a clinch.”

Would you like to see Demetrious Johnson challenge Aljamain Sterling after UFC 292?

Aljamain Sterling makes stunning fight offer to Demetrious Johnson ahead of UFC 292: ‘Mighty Mouse, where you at?’

Ahead of his return to the Octagon at UFC 292 this weekend in Boston, Massachusetts, Aljamain Sterling has made a wholly surprising offer to welcome current ONE Championship kingpin, Demetrious Johnson to the promotion again – if he’s seeking revenge for common-foe turning training partner, Henry Cejudo. Sterling, the current undisputed bantamweight champion, is slated […]

Sterling, the current undisputed bantamweight champion, is slated to headline UFC 292 this weekend at the TD Garden, taking on incoming title chaser, Sean O’Malley in a main event championship bout.

As for Johnson, the former UFC flyweight champion currently holds the ONE Championship flyweight title equivalent, managing to land a title trilogy rubber match win over Brazilian rival, Adriano Moraes back in May in a close decision victory.

And despite weighing up a potential retirement from combat sports competition, Kentucky native, Johnson, who recently booked a submission grappling outing – has maintained he is still unsure if he will continue with mixed martial arts competition.

Demetrious Johnson receives fight offer from UFC kingpin, Aljamain Sterling

However, according to Sterling, if the decorated flyweight kingpin – who has since trained alongside Cejudo following their double salvo of fights, wants to challenge him for bantamweight spoils, the door is firmly open.

“He’s (Demetrious Johnson) too little, man,” Aljamain Sterling told at a Q&A session ahead of UFC 292. “‘Mighty Mouse’ is great, but he’s too little. There’s a reason he why he lost to [Dominick Cruz], it wasn’t a skill deficiency, it’s size.”

“He’s skilled, but I think father time has passed him a little bit. If he wants this work, try to get some revenge for Henry (Cejudo), I can beat your boy, too,” Aljamain Sterling explained. “So, ‘Mighty Mouse’, where you at?”

Johnson, who still holds an Octagon record for consecutive successful title defenses with a whopping 11 straight championship knockbacks, ended his mind-boggling UFC tenure on the wrong side of a close decision rematch loss to common-foe, Cejudo back in 2018.

Would you like to see Aljamain Sterling fight Demetrious Johnson after UFC 292?

Mark Zuckerberg calls bullsh*t on Elon Musk fight details, wants UFC or ONE to be involved

Mark Zuckerberg was quick to put out the fire Elon Musk started on his recently-rebranded platform, X, on Friday. The Titan of Tesla made waves in the mixed martial arts community when he dropped some interesting details regarding his proposed scrap with fellow tech guru Mark Zuckerberg. Musk claimed that he had spoken to the […]

Mark Zuckerberg was quick to put out the fire Elon Musk started on his recently-rebranded platform, X, on Friday.

The Titan of Tesla made waves in the mixed martial arts community when he dropped some interesting details regarding his proposed scrap with fellow tech guru Mark Zuckerberg. Musk claimed that he had spoken to the Prime Minister of Italy to secure an “epic location” for the social media smackdown and that their individual foundations would promote the event. Musk also made it a point to add that the UFC would not be involved.

The reveal drew comments from some of combat sports’ most notable names, including Conor McGregor and Jake Paul. But as it turns out, Musk may have been blowing a little bit of smoke.

The fight will be managed by my and Zuck’s foundations (not UFC).

Livestream will be on this platform and Meta. Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all.

I spoke to the PM of Italy and Minister of Culture. They have agreed on an epic location.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2023

Mark Zuckerberg Wants UFC or ONE Championship Involved in Musk Fight Promotion

Responding to Musk’s claims, Mark Zuckerberg debunked pretty much everything, revealing that he has not agreed to any of the details that Musk dropped on his platform.

“I love this sport and I’ve been ready to fight since the day Elon challenged me,” Zuckerberg wrote. “If he ever agrees on an actual date, you’ll hear it from me. Until then, please assume anything he says has not been agreed on.”

Zuckerberg also addressed the suggestion that the UFC will not be involved in promoting the history-making matchup, adding that bringing the UFC or ONE Championship into the mix would only serve to promote the fight and bring some of MMA’s biggest names to the forefront.

“Not holding my breath for Elon, but I’ll share details on my next fight when I’m ready,” Zuckerberg added. “When I compete, I want to do it in a way that puts a spotlight on the elite athletes at the top of the game. You do that by working with professional orgs like the UFC or ONE to pull this off well and create a great card.”

“When I compete, I want to do it in a way that puts the spotlight on the elite athletes and at the top of the game. You do that by working with professional orgs like the UFC or One.”

Mark Zuckerberg plans to compete in MMA with or without Elon Musk and work with the UFC and… pic.twitter.com/SFmHfdccvh

— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) August 11, 2023

While Elon Musk’s initial challenge to Mark Zuckerberg got the attention of their social media followers, things didn’t truly blow up until UFC President Dana White suggested that both men were 100% serious about stepping inside the cage for a clash. Removing the UFC’s massive marketing machine from one of the biggest fights in the history of combat sports would undoubtedly be a mistake.

It is also commendable that Mark Zuckerberg wants to use this as an opportunity to promote both the sport and its competitors. A clear sign that ‘The Zuck’ genuinely appreciates the sport of mixed martial arts and those who dedicate their lives to it.