“You get to know a lot about a person in their times of adversity” – Chatri Sityodtong says Rodtang apologized after losing to Superlek

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently said 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon apologized to him after coming up short against Superlek.

Stepping inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium to headline ONE Friday Fights 34 in September, Rodtang and Superlek delivered one of the greatest Muay Thai fights of all time, going toe-to-toe for three rounds in a brawl that had it all.

By the time it was all said and done, 'The Kicking Machine' was awarded the victory via a somewhat controversial unanimous decision.

During a recent interview with the promotion, Sityodtong revealed that 'The Iron Man' had apologized to him for the loss — a gesture that was deemed unnecessary by the CEO after delivering such an iconic performance.

“After the fight [with Superlek] he apologized to me," Sityodtong said. "I don’t know why he apologized, but he didn’t have to. I thought it was a spectacular performance. The fight was super close."

Sityodtong also offered his take on the ruling, suggesting that a mistake by the referee is what ultimately swayed things in favor of Superlek.

“The ref made a mistake, ruled a knockdown which was a slip," he added. "You could see he rolled over his ankle and that cost him the fight. But you get to know a lot about a person in their times of adversity.”

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Rodtang returns on June 7 for a kickboxing clash with Denis Puric

After a long layoff due to a hand injury, Rodtang will make his return to the Circle on Friday, June 7, for a bantamweight kickboxing clash with surging contender Denis Puric at ONE 167.

Rodtang is also expected to step inside the Circle with Japanese kickboxing icon Takeru Segawa before the end of 2024. When and where that takes place is yet to be announced, but with the promotion circling a return to Tokyo, there's a strong possibility that the fight will take place in The Land of the Rising Sun.

Until then, 'The Iron Man' will focus on the task at hand, which is taking out 'The Bosnian Menace' on martial arts' biggest global stage.

ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.