Preview and predictions: Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang throw down in special-rules superfight at ONE X

This special-rules superfight between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X is representative of the old-school PRIDE shows that pitted pure styles against each other.

Rounds one and three will be contested under Muay Thai rules, while rounds two and four under MMA rules. Each round will last for three minutes and if no one is finished when time expires, the match is a draw.

Make no mistake, this fight is downright intriguing. It’s an exciting and unique concept, but a little trippy too. That’s what makes it super fun.

Will Rodtang knock Johnson out in the first round? Or will ‘Mighty Mouse’ submit ‘The Iron Man’ in the second? Martial arts is the theater of the unexpected, and ONE Championship is all about that shock and awe.

Here’s what the members of Sportskeeda MMA's ONE Championship team think will happen.

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Vince Richards: Demetrious Johnson via 2nd-round submission

This is as fair as it can get as Demetrious Johnson faces Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a mixed rules fight at ONE X.

Johnson is more of a grappler than a striker but that doesn’t mean he is without the hands and legs that could turn the lights out on his opponents. You need to look no further than his technical knockout win over Henry Cejudo in April 2016 if you want proof.

Muay Thai is obviously Rodtang’s forte and he is the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion. Rodtang will have the early go as the first round is under Muay Thai rules but he’ll be in deep trouble come the second round if the fight does go beyond the opener.

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James De Rozario: Rodtang via 2nd-round KO

Rodtang's striking is going to be the decisive factor against Demetrious Johnson.

The Thai will start the first round by goading Johnson to stand and bang. 'Mighty Mouse' won't fall for it easily. He will use his fight IQ and ability to cut angles to hit and exit from the pocket.

Rodtang is going to be frustrated by this, but he should start hitting Johnson towards the end of the round, especially if he catches 'Mighty Mouse' in the clinch. It won't be enough to knock Johnson out or earn him the three-knockdown TKO, but he will start the second stanza from where he left off.

I see this ending in a bad way for Johnson - in the second frame, an MMA round.

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Ben Imperial: Demetrious Johnson via 2nd round submission

I don’t think this was a wise move for Demetrious Johnson, especially after recently getting knocked out for the first time in his professional MMA career.

Considering the fact that the guy who knocked him out only had three prior knockouts in 18 wins makes me think that his head got rattled good back then for taking this fight.

In Rodtang, DJ is going to go against a seemingly indestructible human being who has the ability to use eight limbs as weapons of destruction. Only an fool or a legend would take on a fight like this against an opponent of that caliber. We know Johnson's a legend, so he’ll probably make me look like the idiot after this fight.

Given this, I believe that they will both play to survive the first two rounds and go for the finish in the third and fourth frames. I think it will definitely go past the first round just because Rodtang will be too interested to see how he fares in MMA.

I’m picking 'Mighty Mouse' to win by submission in the second round, but as a fan, I’m praying that this goes the distance because it looks like it’s going to be fun to watch.

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Atilano Diaz: Demetrious Johnson via 2nd round submission

Fight IQ is the name of the game here. While Demetrious Johnson can certainly find ways to survive the first-round onslaught that Rodtang will no doubt bring, I just can’t say the same for ‘The Iron Man’ once we hit the second round.

A notoriously slow starter, Rodtang likes to spend a few minutes trying to get a feel for his opponents before he goes into full-on tank mode. So there’s a real possibility Rodtang will waste the first three minutes of this fight. In the second round, Johnson will expertly close the distance, bring Rodtang to the ground with ease, and finish him there.

Rodtang has really only been working on his Brazilian jiu-jitsu for a few months. That’s just too short of a time to cover the needed ground.

Johnson will use the momentum of this victory to springboard himself into another shot at the ONE flyweight world title, while Rodtang will return to ONE Super Series and pursue a kickboxing belt or a fight with Tenshin Nasukawa.

Final Tally: Demetrious Johnson 3-1 Rodtang