Tag: ONE Championship

Rodtang Smashes Through Jacob Smith, Vows to Reclaim Flyweight Title After Weight Miss – ONE 169 Highlights

Rodtang Smashes Through Jacob Smith, Vows to Reclaim Flyweight Title After Weight Miss - ONE 169 HighlightsRodtang Jitmuangnon scored another dominant victory against British standout Jacob Smith on Friday night in the ONE 169 co-main…

Rodtang Smashes Through Jacob Smith, Vows to Reclaim Flyweight Title After Weight Miss - ONE 169 Highlights

Rodtang Jitmuangnon scored another dominant victory against British standout Jacob Smith on Friday night in the ONE 169 co-main event.

After seemingly fighting the first round on autopilot, Rodtang started to pick things up in the second, showing flashes of his larger-than-life personality. Unfortunately, that typically spells disaster for his opponents.

Like their first fight in May 2022, Smith was more than willing to engage with ‘The Iron Man’ and go toe-to-toe, but that decision cost him big in the third round when Rodtang landed a nasty elbow near Smith’s right eye that immediately busted the Brit open and had him quickly retreating. Smith ultimately made it out of the round, but by then, the damage was done.

Rodtang

Things got a little chippy between the two with Smith and the Thai seemingly headbutting one another at one point in the fourth. In a rather hilarious moment, ‘The Iron Man’ put Smith on the mat with a leg kick and then proceeded to kiss him on the top of the head before the fight resumed.

Things sort of went that way during the championship rounds with Rodtang just out there dominating his opponent and having fun every step of the way. To Smith’s credit, he went the full 15 minutes with Rodtang, but in the end, it was another decisive decision victory for the Thai superstar.

Rodtang

Official Result: Rodtang def. Jacob Smith via unanimous decision.

Unfortunately, Rodtang will not leave Lumpinee Stadium with the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title. ‘The Iron Man’ failed to meet the weight and hydration requirements for their ONE 169 co-main event, meaning only Smith was eligible to win the belt.

Speaking with Mitch Chilson in the ring, ‘The Iron Man’ made it clear that reclaiming the ONE flyweight Muay Thai title is a top priority, but that will come down to whether or not ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong decides to give him that opportunity.

Rodtang

Check out highlights from Rodtang vs. Jacob Smith at ONE 169:

Jackie Buntan Outworks Anissa Meksen to Become ONE’s First Strawweight Kickboxing Queen – ONE 169 Highlights

Jackie Buntan Outworks Anissa Meksen to Become ONE's First Strawweight Kickboxing Queen - ONE 169 HighlightsJackie Buntan bested one of the most accomplished female fighters in the world to score her first ONE world…

Jackie Buntan Outworks Anissa Meksen to Become ONE's First Strawweight Kickboxing Queen - ONE 169 Highlights

Jackie Buntan bested one of the most accomplished female fighters in the world to score her first ONE world championship.

Returning to the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Buntan went toe-to-toe for five rounds with the seven-time titleholder at ONE 169 on Friday night. Throughout their 15-minute war, things remained relatively close, but it was Buntan’s constant pressure and brutal body attacks that appeared to win the day against Meksen.

Jackie Buntan

In the end, Buntan won the bout via a decisive unanimous decision and became the promotion’s first-ever ONE strawweight kickboxing world titleholder. Buntan also extended her unbeaten streak to four in a row and is now 7-1 under the ONE Championship banner.

Jackie Buntan

Official Result: Jackie Buntan def. Anissa Meksen via unanimous decision to win the ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship.

Check out highlights from Jackie Buntan vs. Anissa Meksen at ONE 169:

Rodtang Stripped of Muay Thai World Title Due To Weight Miss

Rodtang Misses Weight, Loses TitleSuperstar Muay Thai fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon has been stripped of his ONE Championship title due to being unable to…

Rodtang Misses Weight, Loses Title

Superstar Muay Thai fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon has been stripped of his ONE Championship title due to being unable to make hydration and weight.

Rodtang Misses Weight, Loses Title

Hosted at Lumpinee Stadium, in Bangkok, Thailand, ONE 169 was set to go down with three title matches. A heavyweight MMA championship between Anatoly Malykhin and “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane, a strawweight kickboxing title fight with Jackie Buntan and Anissa Meksen, plus a flyweight Muay Thai world championship match between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Jacob Smith.

Making weight and hydration has been a struggle for “The Iron Man” in the past, but in more recent fights he seemed to have it under control.

Rodtang and Jacob Smith have agreed on fighting at a 135.5 lbs catchweight.

As reported by Nicolas Atkin:

“Rodtang has lost his ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai title on the scale after missing weight for ONE 169. Understand Jacob Smith has accepted a catchweight of 135.5lbs so the fight will go ahead, but only Smith can win the vacant belt. Smith will also receive a percentage of Rodtang’s 10 million baht purse.”

“The Iron Man” and the UK-born Jacob Smith fought years prior with the Thai-born Rodtang dominating the matchup. On November 8, at ONE 169, Smith was coming for revenge. The two will still fight but a title will not be on the line and Jitmuangnon has been stripped due to a weight miss.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon
One Championship

Watch: Elbows, Knees, and Punches lead to a Shocking first round Knockout in Muay Thai from 19-year-old

19-year-old Akif Guluzada First Round Muay Thai KnockoutThe 19-year-old ‘King’ Akif Guluzada earned a first-round knockout with a stunning combination of elbows, knees, punches, and even…

19-year-old Akif Guluzada First Round Muay Thai Knockout

The 19-year-old ‘King’ Akif Guluzada earned a first-round knockout with a stunning combination of elbows, knees, punches, and even a spinning back kick in ONE Championship Muay Thai at ONE Friday Fights 85.

19-year-old Akif Guluzada First Round Muay Thai Knockout

Azerbaijan’s Akif Guluzada is a rising star in the world of Muay Thai, making waves with his impressive performances in ONE Championship. Observers have described him as a “buzzsaw” due to his relentless and aggressive fighting style.

In ONE Championship Muay Thai he now holds a record of 2-0 with his most recent victory over Samingdam came by TKO in the first round at 2:41. Akif Guluzada is considered a rising talent in the Muay Thai world. His knockout victory over Samingdam has certainly increased his profile.

Samingdam Looksuanmuaythai is a professional Muay Thai fighter from Thailand who competes in ONE Championship’s flyweight division. Samingdam’s recent fights in ONE Championship have been mixed trading wins and losses. Following his loss to Akif Guluzada on November 1, 2024, it was reported that Fareast Looksuan, the owner of Looksuan Muay Thai camp, expressed disappointment in Samingdam’s performance. At 22 years old, he still has potential for growth and improvement in his Muay Thai career.

In four-ounce Muay Thai at ONE Friday Fights 85 Akif Guluzada used spinning back kicks, elbows, knees, and punches to earn a first-round knockout. Check it out below:

19 year old Akif Guluzada First Round Muay Thai Knockout
Credit: Venum Training Camp

Mikey Musumeci Walks Away from ONE Championship

Mikey Musumeci Leaves ONE ChampionshipSuperstar Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete Mikey Musumeci has walked away from ONE Championship. This comes just weeks after the weight-cut…

Mikey Musumeci Leaves ONE Championship

Superstar Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete Mikey Musumeci has walked away from ONE Championship. This comes just weeks after the weight-cut controversy in his most recent scheduled match that led him to be stripped of his title.

Mikey Musumeci Leaves ONE Championship

“Darth Rigatoni” Mikey Musumeci is an American-Italian standout grappler in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who has collected impressive titles in IBJJF world championships. He recently reported on Instagram that he stepping away from ONE Championship leaving the organization behind. He wrote:

“END OF A CHAPTER OF MY LIFE – today I would like to announce I will no longer be living in Asia or competing under One Championship … These past three years I have had some of the best memories and lessons of my life! I met so many incredible people in Singapore and in Thailand … I was the first submission grappling world champion the organization ever had, and I had the platform and opportunity to help grow our sport of jiu jitsu to so many more people.

Some people speculate that the submission grappler is not happy with how he was treated in his last match. Musumeci was originally scheduled to face Kade Ruotolo at 170 lbs. However, Ruotolo withdrew due to injury. ONE Championship then asked Musumeci to defend his flyweight (135 lb) title against a replacement opponent, Bebeto Oliveira, on short notice. This required Musumeci to attempt to cut approximately 35 lbs in just 72 hours, which many considered an unreasonable and dangerous request.

Musumeci failed to make weight, coming in at 136 lbs, and also failed hydration tests. As a result, ONE Championship stripped Musumeci of his flyweight submission grappling title. The grappling community largely rallied behind Musumeci, criticizing ONE Championship for putting him in this difficult position. The incident led to significant backlash against ONE Championship’s weight-cutting and hydration policies.

Just weeks after this controversy, Mikey Musumeci announced he was leaving ONE Championship. The chief executive officer of ONE Chatri Sityodtong and ONE Championship has not made any official announcement regarding this news.

Mikey Musumeci

He made history in 2019 by securing the fastest submission ever in an IBJJF World Championship final, tapping out his opponent with an ankle lock in just 12 seconds. Since joining ONE, Musumeci has remained undefeated with a 7-0 record, including 5 submission victories. He has successfully defended his world title multiple times against high-level opponents.

Demetrious Johnson Analyzes Whether UFC Or ONE Championship Got The Better Of His Trade

In October of 2018, a first of it’s kind deal would take place in the MMA landscape that would see two major names in the sport swap promotion. After losing his UFC flyweight title to Henry Cejudo, Demetrious Johnson was traded to ONE Championship. Former ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren went the other way in […]

Continue Reading Demetrious Johnson Analyzes Whether UFC Or ONE Championship Got The Better Of His Trade at MMA News.

In October of 2018, a first of it’s kind deal would take place in the MMA landscape that would see two major names in the sport swap promotion. After losing his UFC flyweight title to Henry Cejudo, Demetrious Johnson was traded to ONE Championship.

Former ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren went the other way in a switch that defined the final stages in the career of both men. Now that he is officially retired from MMA, announcing his decision at ONE 168 last month, Johnson reflected on this in a recent interview.

“Mighty Mouse” would go on to fight seven-times in ONE Championship’s flyweight division where he won the flyweight World Grand Prix and became the champion, defending his title once to close out his trilogy with Adriano Moraes before retiring.

He also competed in a first of it’s kind mixed-rules fight against Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon at the promotion’s historic ONE X card back in 2022 which Johnson won via submission.

Askren, on the other hand, fought just three times in the UFC but produced two incredibly memorable moments when he submitting Robbie Lawler and was knocked out by Jorge Masvidal.

Johnson had always been underappreciated by the UFC in a lot of people’s eyes so despite the fact that he was still one of, if not, the best in the world, the move made sense for him at the time.

During his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Johnson gave his detailed thoughts on which party got the better of the trade. He makes the case for why in some ways, both the UFC and ONE Championship got what they wanted out of the trade.

“I mean, it’s no doubt, you look at your boy, I was a f****** working horse. Working horse, the best in the world. Probably pound-for-pound if you didn’t count Jon Jones for skipping me and then, you know, I think Ben Askren was out, he was retired, and me and Ben Askren, we had him on the MightyCast, it’ll drop soon, and we talked about it. But I think when you look at like just money-wise, I think the UFC won because of how much more money they were able to generate and quote unquote from Dana White and those guys, I wasn’t making them any money. But, I think the sheer of just the f****** horse that ONE Championship got, I mean, if I wanted to, I could still fight.

“I don’t think Ben Askren could still fight. I could still fight if I truly wanted to, he can’t, and you look at the fights I was able to produce, the knockouts, the buzz that I was able to produce for ONE Championship, I mean it’s easy clear that they got the better athlete, the better fighter, but when it comes down to the money aspect of it, they probably won. But it’s what are you looking for? Are you looking to generate more money or are you looking to have the best athletes in the world? You want to have the best athletes in the world? They got my black a**.”  

Continue Reading Demetrious Johnson Analyzes Whether UFC Or ONE Championship Got The Better Of His Trade at MMA News.