{"id":238624,"date":"2025-10-25T06:18:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T06:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/238624\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T06:18:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T06:18:11","slug":"rodtang-recalls-not-wanting-exciting-173-bout-vs-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/238624\/","title":{"rendered":"Rodtang Recalls Not Wanting Exciting 173 Bout Vs. Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thai megastar Rodtang Jitmuangnon will face his most emotionally complicated test when he battles compatriot and living legend Nong-O Hama for the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri<\/a> on Sunday, November 16, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The 28-year-old expressed profound respect for the 38-year-old former bantamweight king. However, he revealed some initial reluctance to compete against someone he considers both a mentor and close friend. The highly anticipated Thai versus Thai clash pits two of ONE Championship\u2019s biggest Muay Thai superstars against each other, with Rodtang bringing 274 career victories and against Nong-O\u2019s 267 career victories.<\/p>\n

Rodtang Credits Nong-O as Ultimate Role Model<\/p>\n

Rodtang, the former flyweight ruler<\/a> who recently reflected on fatherhood<\/a>, expressed unwavering admiration for the former bantamweight king, describing him as the ultimate example of professional excellence both inside and outside the ring. \u201cThe Iron Man\u201d emphasized that Nong-O\u2019s approach to training, body maintenance, and lifestyle represents the gold standard for all fighters.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Nong-O, since I got a contract with ONE Championship, he has always been the role model for both [fighting] and living life. The way he takes care of his body, he is the best. He should be the role model of the role models that everyone should try to follow in his footsteps. He will always get my respect,\u201d Rodtang said.<\/p>\n

The deep respect between both Thai superstars stems from years of shared experiences within ONE Championship, where Nong-O established himself as the promotion\u2019s most dominant bantamweight Muay Thai titleholder. Since moving down to flyweight, he has his heart set on two-division glory.<\/p>\n

Former Champion Rodtang Never Wanted This Fight<\/p>\n

Rodtang revealed his long-standing desire to avoid this matchup entirely, explaining how his friendship with Nong-O developed from their first meeting in Singapore and continued throughout numerous promotional events. The emotional connection makes this vacant title fight particularly difficult for the younger fighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI [didn\u2019t] want to fight him from the start. When I fought in Singapore, we met [for the first time], and we had a meal together. We were together in every fight while I was in Singapore. Every time we meet, we always respect one another. I have said that I never want to fight with Nong-O,\u201d Rodtang said.<\/p>\n

The genuine friendship between the two Thai warriors adds layers of complexity to what would otherwise be a straightforward championship contest. Their mutual respect and camaraderie represent the best aspects of martial arts culture, even as professional obligations force them into competition.<\/p>\n

Rodtang Shares Mixed Emotions About Potential Victory
\n\"Rodtang<\/a>Image Courtesy of ONE Championship.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most revealing was Rodtang\u2019s candid admission about his conflicted feelings regarding the fight\u2019s outcome. \u201cThe Iron Man\u201d acknowledged that even victory might not bring the typical joy associated with capturing championship gold, given the circumstances of defeating someone he deeply respects.<\/p>\n

\u201cI might be happy or maybe not. I don\u2019t know about this one. There\u2019s something deep inside. I just perform my best in each fight and make everyone proud of me. When I fight, I don\u2019t fight for myself but for the fans, for those who love me,\u201d Rodtang said.<\/p>\n

Bring transparent about that internal conflict demonstrates Rodtang\u2019s maturity and genuine care for his opponent, while his commitment to performing for fans shows his understanding of professional responsibilities. The vacant title became available only after Rodtang was stripped of the belt due to missing weight in November 2024, creating this opportunity for both fighters to claim flyweight supremacy.<\/p>\n

ONE 173 takes place on Sunday, November 16, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thai megastar Rodtang Jitmuangnon will face his most emotionally complicated test when he battles compatriot and living legend…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238625,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-238624","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}