'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAx6MJ/8QAIRAAAwAABAcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAUREgQVISIxgdH/2gAIAQEAAT8AbLYraNOXzZeGYpR1PV9pYDUFtPCjDZBfceyvop9x/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECIf/aAAgBAgEBPwCVp//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABEAAf/aAAgBAwEBPwBcv//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jonathan Haggerty still thinks his first fight with Rodtang Jitmuangnon was a draw. In Aug. 2019, 'The General' sought to defend his ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship against Rodtang at ONE: Dawn of Heroes at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manilla.
Though he came up short on the scorecards, Haggerty gave it everything he had, delivering an instant classic with 'The Iron Man' that reinvigorated the entire division, making it the juggernaut it is today.
Trending
To this day, Haggerty believes his iconic clash with Rodtang was still too close to call. However, he recently offered some insight into why the judges likely scored it in favor of the Thai fan favorite.
"I mean so in ONE Championship, I think what they do is they score it by damage," Haggerty said on the Winners Talking podcast. "I think on the scorecards it was a draw. But ONE Championship doesn't allow any draws. You’re not allowed to draw. So I think what they did is they went down to damage and the knockdown. I think that's what done it."
Should Rodtang try to reclaim flyweight crown or join Jonathan Haggerty at bantamweight?
With their first fight so close, Haggerty and Rodtang would run it back five months later at ONE: A New Tomorrow in Jan. 2020.
On that night, 'The Iron Man' left no questions unanswered as he scored a stunning third-round knockout against 'The General' to solidify his spot atop the flyweight Muay Thai division.
Sadly, Rodtang is no longer the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion after a mishap on the scale ahead of ONE 169 resulted in him being stripped of his strap. Since then, 'The Iron Man' has declared his desire to reclaim the crown he never t technically lost and resume his reign.
“I still feel disappointed that I couldn’t keep my championship belt, but I will keep looking forward," Rodtang told ONE. "I will definitely reclaim the throne in the future.”
Do you want to see 'The Iron Man' attempt to win back the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title, or is it time for Rodtang to move up a weight class and join Jonathan Haggerty at bantamweight?
