“Rodtang, let’s train” - Thanh Le offers his help to Rodtang Jitmuangnon ahead of ONE X

ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le is a fan of both Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon. However, his “striker” bias compels him to offer a hand to the Muay Thai legend.

Johnson and Rodtang are set to collide in the penultimate match at ONE X on March 26. The match will feature both Muay Thai and MMA in alternating rounds, which will highlight each competitor’s strengths.

Speaking from an MMA fighter's perspective, Le believes that ‘Mighty Mouse’ could edge out Rodtang. However, as a striker himself, the Vietnamese-American can’t get over how much of a fan he is of ‘The Iron Man'.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Thanh Le said:

“I am a huge fan of Mighty Mouse because we're in the same sport. Generally, grappling, striking, wrestling, like mixing all that is mixed martial arts. I'm a huge fan of his and I’ve been watching him forever. And I am partially biased because it's MMA versus the other any other sport. I'm a mixed martial arts champion. I'm a mixed martial arts fan. I'm leaning towards that scene. That'd be successful. But I am a huge Rodtang fan. Rodtang let's train sometimes, like, huge fan. The dude's insane.”

Thanh Le further explained his admiration for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion and how he wants to help him train.

He continued:

"I love the way he fights. I love the energy he brings into the cage. I love that he does Muay Thai with small gloves. I want to train with him. I want to help him if he ever had any questions on the mixed martial arts side of things. To get the opportunity to train with such a high-level and experienced guy who relies on skill and durability, you know, technique and toughness - I'm such a huge fan of his. It's really hard to be biased because normally in any other situation I'd be mixed martial arts all the way."

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Thanh Le shares why he’s excited for Rodtang versus Demetrious Johnson at ONE X

Like many fans, Thanh Le is looking forward to seeing Rodtang and Demetrious Johnson mix it up at ONE X on March 26.

During the interview, he explained why it’s a must-see match for him:

“The mixed rules, the different backgrounds, and it’s not a striker versus a grappler. It’s literally, best Muay Thai fighter versus best MMA fighter. It’s cool. It’s very cool. I hope to be a part of something like this one day, I really, truly do, because ‘Mighty Mouse’ is on the MMA side of the coin like I am, but he’s more well-rounded. I’d say less specialist-oriented. I have a striking specialist background so this interests me a lot, like, watching the fight, obviously, and maybe being part of one.”

In a match that’s too unpredictable to call, Le and fans all over the world will just have to sit back and enjoy watching how the two legends try to survive each other.

Be sure to tune in on March 26 to watch the action go down from Singapore.