Rodtang: WATCH: The chaotic exchange before Rodtang Jitmuangnon landed an iconic shot in his historic Bangkok duel against Superlek

ONE Championship fans have long waited to see Thai megastars Rodtang Jitmuangnon and ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 collide inside the circle. Their dreams became reality in the headliner of ONE Friday Fights 34 in September 2023.

Because it was contested under Muay Thai rules, 'The Iron Man' and Superlek could get deep into their bags and attempt all sorts of techniques. This expectedly led to a spectacular three-round firefight, though it was Rodtang who landed the most vicious shot of the bout.

Taking to Instagram, the world's largest martial arts promotion shared their fiery striking exchange leading up to Rodtang's slicing elbow strike, which busted open 'The Kicking Machine' midway through round one.

Check out the video below:

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Many believed this moment would spell doom for the Kiatmoo9 Gym affiliate's chances at victory since the blood pouring down his face could affect his vision for the remainder of the fight. Instead, Superlek kept his wits about him and fought methodically, leading to the unanimous decision win.

This defeat marked the Jitmuangnon Gym star's only loss in 14 Muay Thai fights under the ONE banner.

Superlek eyeing second Rodtang bout over 26 pounds of flyweight Muay Thai gold

The ONE flyweight Muay Thai division is without a champion since the gold was stripped from Rodtang last November after he missed weight ahead of his world title tilt against Jacob Smith. Superlek believes he and Rodtang could have a rematch, but with the 135-pound Muay Thai crown on the line.

Speaking with Nickynachat, the second-ranked ONE flyweight Muay Thai competitor stated:

"Yes, yes. There's a chance [for me to fight Rodtang again]. In the future, I believe it will happen because right now the belt is vacant. So there's a chance."

Watch the entire interview below:

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi