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Fans React to Rodtang’s Newest Booking “Piss poor matchmaking once again”

Rodtang ONE 169 The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon has his next booking to defend his Muay Thai world title, and fans are…

The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon has his next booking to defend his Muay Thai world title, and fans are not impressed. Later this year at ONE 169 hosted in Atlanta, USA, ONE Championship paired the Muay Thai champion against Jacob Smith.

Fans laugh at Rodtang vs. Jacob Smith

The Thai-born Rodtang has been a superstar for ONE Championship. The Muay Thai champion is popular on social media and has over 270 victories. Many of his recent fights have been brought into question as they are largely unworthy of facing a champion in Muay Thai. The Jacob Smith fight is one more to add to this list and fans are unhappy.

Some of the recent opponents of ‘The Iron Man’ include the debuting Edgar Tabares, winless in ONE Jiduo Yibu, lower weight class fighters such as Joseph Lasiri and Danial Williams, plus a loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9. Now, he has been paired against the UK-born Smith, an opponent ‘The Iron Man’ already defeated in a dominant fight years ago. In his most recent fight, Smith is coming off of a loss and has only had a single victory in ONE since signing with the organization three years ago. Fans let ONE know their discontent with this matchup.

MuayThaiJME on Twitter said:

“Honestly not sure how anyone can like Rodtang Hitting new lows even I didn’t think were imaginable As much as I like Jacob, he was embarrassed by Rodtang last time out, he’s coming off a loss, & that loss was to the guy Rodtang just beat Piss poor matchmaking once again Shameful.”

RISE fighter Jay Snoddon added:

“I like Jacob but this match literally makes zero sense. Jacob gets merked by Rodtang, then loses to Denis Puric who fights Rodtang and loses in Kickboxing. Now, Jacob for whatever reason gets a title shot?!?”

CombatCr said:

“A truly pathetic slice of matchmaking, a fight that absolutely no one needs to see. Rodtang is a fighter not even worth paying attention to while he’s in fights like this (that we’ve already seen, and do not need to see again at all) while there are so many better options.”

Thesilverwolfgg added:

“Just why? Rodtang easily beat Smith last time and Smith hasn’t done anything to earn this. All the title fights in ATL are beyond lopsided. Man @ONEChampionship thinks we’re really stupid out here in the west.”

On Instagram, _thomasdonnelly said:

“He only wants the easy fights Chatri needs to stop this cherry picking bullshit”

Rodtang vs. Jacob Smith is not a match that the fight community is impressed with but it is the co-main event at ONE 169.

Make it make sense.#ONE169 | Nov. 8 pic.twitter.com/2hLpXzZnjp

— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) July 22, 2024

Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane scores brutal knockout in heavyweight kickboxing clash – ONE Fight Night 23 Highlights

Months before he’s scheduled to square off with three-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin, top-ranked heavyweight contender Oumar ‘Reug…

Months before he’s scheduled to square off with three-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin, top-ranked heavyweight contender Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane stepped inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for a kickboxing clash with countryman Boucher Ketchup.

Kane is best known for his work in ONE’s heavyweight MMA division, earning a noteworthy win over 17-time BJJ world champion Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida in his last outing.

Still, that didn’t stop him from putting his impressive knockout power on display as part of ONE Fight Night 23 in Bangkok. Meeting ‘Reug Reug’ inside the Circle was Ketchup, a Senegalese standout known for his fan-friendly fighting style.

As soon as the bell rang, it was off to the races with Ketchup rushing in and attempting to land a flying hammer fist. Throughout the fight, the hammer fist appeared to be the only strike Ketchup was interested in—or possibly the only one he knew how to throw. As Kane kept his composure and mixed up his strikes, Ketchup continued to rush in, throwing combinations like a drunk guy in a toughman contest.

Eventually, Ketchup’s unorthodox striking came back to bite him as ‘Reug Reug’ knocked him down twice in the opening round, with the second knockdown keeping him down for the count.

Official Result: Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane def. Boucher Ketchup via KO (strikes) at 2:08 of Round 1.

Check Out Highlights From ‘Reug Reug’ vs. Boucher Ketchup at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video:

REUG REUG ONLY NEED 1 ROUND

pic.twitter.com/Hvb51oZyA9

— Combat Sports UK (@CombatSportsUK) July 6, 2024

Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane scores brutal knockout in heavyweight kickboxing clash – ONE Fight Night 23 Highlights

Months before he’s scheduled to square off with three-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin, top-ranked heavyweight contender Oumar ‘Reug…

Kane is best known for his work in ONE’s heavyweight MMA division, earning a noteworthy win over 17-time BJJ world champion Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida in his last outing.

Eventually, Ketchup’s unorthodox striking came back to bite him as ‘Reug Reug’ knocked him down twice in the opening round, with the second knockdown keeping him down for the count.

Official Result: Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane def. Boucher Ketchup via KO (strikes) at 2:08 of Round 1.

Check Out Highlights From ‘Reug Reug’ vs. Boucher Ketchup at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video:

REUG REUG ONLY NEED 1 ROUND

pic.twitter.com/Hvb51oZyA9

— Combat Sports UK (@CombatSportsUK) July 6, 2024

Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane scores brutal knockout in heavyweight kickboxing clash – ONE Fight Night 23 Highlights

Months before he’s scheduled to square off with three-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin, top-ranked heavyweight contender Oumar ‘Reug…

Kane is best known for his work in ONE’s heavyweight MMA division, earning a noteworthy win over 17-time BJJ world champion Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida in his last outing.

Eventually, Ketchup’s unorthodox striking came back to bite him as ‘Reug Reug’ knocked him down twice in the opening round, with the second knockdown keeping him down for the count.

Official Result: Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane def. Boucher Ketchup via KO (strikes) at 2:08 of Round 1.

Check Out Highlights From ‘Reug Reug’ vs. Boucher Ketchup at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video:

REUG REUG ONLY NEED 1 ROUND

pic.twitter.com/Hvb51oZyA9

— Combat Sports UK (@CombatSportsUK) July 6, 2024

Anatoly Malykhin set to defend heavyweight title against ‘Reug Reug’ at ONE 169 in Atlanta

ONE Championship’s three-division world titleholder Anatoly Malykhin has his next title defense lined up. Headlining the promotion’s highly anticipated…

ONE Championship’s three-division world titleholder Anatoly Malykhin has his next title defense lined up.

Headlining the promotion’s highly anticipated debut inside State Farm Arena on November 8, ‘Sladkiy’ will put his 26 pounds of heavyweight gold on the line against Senegalese standout Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane.

Malykhin has established himself as a one-man wrecking machine inside the Circle, amassing an undefeated record of 14-0 with a 100% finish rate. Along the way, he has captured the heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight championships, making him MMA’s first-ever simultaneous three-division king.

In his last outing, he dispatched ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder for the second time, securing a third-round TKO to claim the middleweight belt. As a heavyweight, his most recent victory came against former titleholder Arjan Bhullar.

ONE Championship three-division champion Anatoly Malykhin

Now, Malykhin will test himself against a world-class wrestler ready to cash in on his first shot at a ONE world title. Overall, ‘Reug Reug’ is a solid 6-1 with five of his six wins coming inside the Circle. In August, Kane shocked everyone with a stellar performance against previously undefeated MMA standout and former 16-time BJJ world champion Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida at ONE Fight Night 13.

Tawanchai vs. Nattawut III joins Anatoly Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ at ONE Championship’s ‘Hotlanta’ debut

Also announced for ONE 169 in ‘ATL’ is a trilogy fight between current ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai and ‘Smokin’ Jo Nattawut. After Nattawut took Tawanchai to the limit in a critically acclaimed kickboxing clash at ONE Fight Night 15, the two tussled on June 7 in a Muay Thai clash for Tawanchai’s coveted title.

Tawachai vs. Nattawut at ONE Championship's return to Impact Arena on June 7

After five intense rounds of action, Tawanchai was declared the winner unanimously—a decision that drew the ire of fight fans inside Bangkok’s iconic Impact Arena and ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

“I thought Jo Nattawut won,” Sityodtong said during the ONE 167 post-fight press conference. “It was a very close fight, very close. But I thought Jo did enought to win. For me, I would have gone to damage. Tawanchai had more damage on him that Jo did.”

Tickets for ONE 169 go on sale on Friday, July 12 via Ticketmaster with pre-sale tickets starting on July 5.

Anatoly Malykhin welcomes clash with Francis Ngannou, but ONE Championship’s CEO is not interested

Despite being MMA’s first simultaneous three-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin is far from being a household name in the…

Despite being MMA’s first simultaneous three-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin is far from being a household name in the world of combat sports. However, a scrap with former UFC titleholder Francis Ngannou could change that.

Boasting an impressive 14-0 record with a 100% finish rate, ‘Sladkiy’ has established himself as one of ONE Championship’s most formidable foes across three different divisions. Starting with capturing the interim heavyweight belt, Malykhin inevitably traded in his temporary title for undisputed gold against the division’s former king, Arjan Bhullar—but not before becoming a two-division champion with a highlight-reel knockout of Reinier de Ridder to claim the light heavyweight title.

Determined to etch his name in the history books, Malykhin dropped down two weight classes, challenging de Ridder for the middleweight title at ONE 166 in Qatar. Though it took him a little bit longer the second time around, the result was the same. Malykhin finished ‘The Dutch Knight’ in round three to claim his third strap.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Malykhin addressed a potential matchup with Ngannou, suggesting that he could be “a big problem” for the former UFC-turned-PFL superstar.

“I can say that my strong points are that I move better than him and also I do great body shots,” Malykhin said through an interpreter. “I think me on my feet would be a big problem for him.”

ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong has little interest in seeing Anatoly Malykhin fight Francis Ngannou

A fight between Anatoly Malykhin and Francis Ngannou would be a huge opportunity for the 13-year-old promotion as it continues to fight for its piece of the pie in the U.S. market, but ONE Championship’s founder and CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, doesn’t appear to be terribly interested in the heavyweight superfight.

Commenting on the potential showdown, Sityodtong made it clear that the hurdles of a cross-promotion with PFL are not the issue. It’s that he simply doesn’t believe Ngannou would be much of a challenge for his three-division star.

“I don’t think it would be competitive,” Sityodtong told MMA Fighting. “Francis has one-punch KO power, great striking, but he doesn’t have a ground game. I mean, genuinely [he has] blue belt level jiu-jitsu and no wrestling. Anatoly would take him down in a heartbeat. I don’t think it would be competitive, just to be very blunt, and I’m speaking as a lifelong martial artist. I’m trying to be as objective as possible, and I’ve been doing 40 years of Muay Thai and 15 years of jiu-jitsu. I’m just speaking from personal experience and I’m trying to be objective.

“We all know in all the different weight classes, wrestling is the one discipline that allows you to dictate where the fight takes place. If a wrestler wants to keep it standing, he keeps it standing. If he wants to take you down or she wants to take you down, they’ll take you down, especially a world-class wrestler — a Russian national team wrestler like Anatoly Malykhin. [But] we’ve always been open [to cross promotion].”

Before signing with the Professional Fighters League, Ngannou met with Sityodtong to work out a potential deal. ONE ultimately walked away from the negotiating table with the CEO noting that he and ‘The Predator’ were not fully aligned on “non-financial matters.”

Considering it’s been more than a year since Ngannou signed with the PFL and he has yet to make his Smart Cage debut, it kinda feels like Sityodtong made the right move.