“That made me improve” - Joseph Lasiri admits loss to Rodtang made him a better fighter

Reigning ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Joseph Lasiri has been pitted against the top fighters in the promotion since his debut in 2018. He fought the likes of Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, Jonathan Haggerty, and Hiroki Akimoto.

But there is a certain fighter whom he has picked up the most lesson of all—Rodtang Jitmuangnon. Lasiri moved up to the flyweight division to challenge ‘The Iron Man’ for his ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title in November 2022, but came up short after receiving a unanimous decision loss.

Despite the defeat, he was able to pick up several intangibles that made him a better fighter. He shared this in a recent ONE Championship interview by saying:

“I was 100 percent, I didn’t take this fight just to go there. I went to Singapore for the win. I wished for a second title, but it doesn’t matter. It was a good experience to fight a big name. I felt a lot of his personality from that fight that made me improve.”

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Prior to that defeat from Rodtang, the Italian-Moroccan star had strung up three straight victories and defeated Rocky Ogden in November 2020 at ONE: Inside the Matrix IV, Asahi Shinagawa in December 2021 at ONE: Winter Warriors II, and Prajanchai PK Saenchai in May 2022 at ONE 157.

Joseph Lasiri braces for world title unification fight with Prajancahi at ONE Friday Fights 46

After Prajanchai defeated Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in June 2023 at ONE Friday Fights 22 to capture the ONE interim strawweight world title, he automatically earned the rematch with Lasiri, and the two are scheduled to meet in the co-main event of ONE Friday Fights 46 on December 22 inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

‘The Hurricane’ wants to reassert his mastery over him and keep the belt until 2024. This marks Lasiri’s first world title defense, and he intends to remain the undisputed champion.

Check your local listings or visit ONE Championship's official website on how to watch ONE Friday Fights 46 from your location. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch ONE Friday Fights 46: Tawanchai vs. Superbon via pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com on December 22.

About the author

Anatoly is an MMA writer with six years of experience. He covers ONE Championship at Sportskeeda, where he has contributed over 1000 pieces. He previously served as the lead MMA writer for BetMGM’s blog.

Anatoly holds a bachelor's degree in communication, which he feels has had a significant impact on his career.

Jon Jones’ submission win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in 2011 got him hooked to MMA. His favorite fighters include Eduard Folayang, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Anatoly provides Sportskeeda with exclusive pieces and has previously interviewed the former ONE flyweight MMA world champion, Adriano Moraes. While writing his pieces, he follows an extensive research process, referring only to credible sources like the UFC’s official website, Sherdog, and ESPN. He also likes to provide insights to his readers by keeping in mind important pillars of communication like media literacy and audience dynamics.

Anatoly advocates for a healthy and fit lifestyle by including boxing in his routine. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by C. Naik