Chatri Sityodtong says ‘gassed’ Superlek would have struggled against Rodtang in a five-round match

ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong believes the camp of Rodtang Jitmuangnon missed out on a great opportunity by choosing to fight Superlek Kiatmoo9 in just three rounds instead of five in their catchweight Muay Thai showdown last week.

Rodtang lost to Superlek by unanimous decision in their headlining match at ONE Friday Fights 34 on September 22 at a packed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

But while he ended up with the win, ‘The Kicking Machine’ took a lot from the nonstop striking back-and-forth he had with ’The Iron Man,’ and was already gassed by the time the final bell rang.

Sityodtong took time to talk about it in his post-event interview with the South China Morning Post, highlighting that Superlek did not have much left after the third round and would have had a hard time keeping in step with Rodtang if it was a five-rounder.

The ONE executive said:

“Yeah, you could see in the third round, Superlek was completely gassed, trying to hold on so, had the fight gone on, if it was a five round – and the irony is that when Superlek missed weight by five pounds, we talked to both camps, and wanted to keep it a five-round fight."

"And actually, Rodtang’s camp said, no we don't want a five round [fight] because he’s so big, because you know five pounds is a lot to give. So, he’s like, ‘No, no, he’s so big! We’d rather have a three-round fight.’ I think they made a strategic error.”

Check out the interview below:

The much-awaited showdown was originally set as a five-round title fight for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title of Rodtang until Superlek came to the weigh-in five pounds over the limit, leaving the fight to be played as a catchweight.

Unfortunately for Superlek, the kickboxing king in the division, by missing weight he deprived himself a chance to become a double ONE world champion and claim a $50,000 performance bonus for his impressive win.

Sityodtong, however, said that they are keen on holding a rematch between the two superstars in a title match at some point in the future.

The full replay of ONE Friday Fights 34 is available on ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel.