“I’m looking to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” - Demetrious Johnson to channel inner Muhammad Ali against Rodtang

Demetrious Johnson is showing nothing but respect for his next opponent, Rodtang Jitmuangnon. The former UFC champion is set to face the Muay Thai champion at ONE: X on March 26th. The all-time MMA great recently sat down for an interview to discuss the matchup.

Johnson was honest and forthcoming about his game plan. He is hoping to stay light on his feet, like all-time boxing great Muhammad Ali. 'Mighty Mouse' told ONE Championship:

“Rodtang has been hit with everything. ‘Mini T’ [Danial Williams] has clipped him. Jonathan Haggerty has clipped him. Everybody he fights, he has been clipped. I’ve never been the athlete to go into a fight banking on myself to knock somebody out or submit somebody. I will go in there and I think to myself, ‘This is going to be a long 12-minute fight.’

He added:

“It’s like if Bruce Lee was fighting Rodtang, do you think he’d stay right in front of him the whole time and let him take all the shots? Absolutely not. So do I plan on standing toe-to-toe with Rodtang? Absolutely not. I’m going to look to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”

The matchup will be a mixed rules bout. Rounds 1 and 3 will be Muay Thai, and rounds 2 and 4 will be MMA. ONE: X is set to go down on March 26th at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and will be headlined by a highly-anticipated women's atomweight title clash between Angela Lee and Stamp Fairtex.

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Demetrious Johnson calls out fans in Singapore

Ahead of Demetrious Johnson's mixed rules bout against Muay Thai champion Rodtang, the American called out ONE Championship fans in Singapore on Instagram. He wrote:

"Fans in Singapore, this is your chance to see me get Rodtang on the ground and submit him - get your butts in the seats!"

Demetrious Johnson may have more experience than Rodtang in years. However, the young Muay Thai champion has far more fights than the former UFC champion. 'Mighty Mouse' has a total of 35 MMA fights while Rodtang has over 300 bouts between Muay Thai and kickboxing, and is only 24.

Tune in on March 26th to see who wins.