Thai Muay Thai star says body 'was not ready' for April rematch; faces Nong-O in GP quarterfinal Friday

ONE Championship Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon of Thailand (left) poses with Takeru of Japan, the two having traded wins against each other. A rubber match is now off the table following Takeru's announced retirement. [Rodtang SNS]
ONE Championship Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon of Thailand (left) poses with Takeru of Japan, the two having traded wins against each other. A rubber match is now off the table following Takeru's announced retirement. [Rodtang SNS]

Thai Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon, 29, has attributed his KO loss to Segawa Takeru, 35, of Japan to a lack of training stemming from a contract dispute with ONE Championship.

Japanese combat sports outlet Gongkaku reported Tuesday that Rodtang, speaking in an official ONE Championship interview, reflected on his April rematch against Takeru and said his physical condition had not been normal at the time.

"There were complicated circumstances when I fought Takeru, and I was not able to train enough," Rodtang said. "After I got knocked down by a punch I walked into, it was hard to figure out how to keep fighting." He added that he had pushed through on willpower alone. "My body was not ready. I gave everything I had, which made it all the more disappointing — but I have no choice but to accept the result and move forward," he said.

Rodtang suffered a fifth-round KO loss to Takeru on April 29 in Tokyo at ONE Samurai 1, a flyweight kickboxing interim world title bout. He had stopped Takeru by first-round KO in their first meeting in March 2025, but the rematch reversed the outcome. Takeru claimed the interim championship with the victory and then retired as he had previously announced.

At the time, Rodtang was locked in a legal dispute with ONE Championship over the validity of his contract. The two sides agreed to drop the lawsuit on April 19, ten days before the bout, allowing the event to proceed as scheduled. Rodtang re-signed with the promotion in July.

Now working his way back, Rodtang will face rising contender Nong-O Hama of Thailand in the flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix quarterfinal at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on Friday.

Rodtang said he intends to prove his worth again at the event. He said he understands the criticism surrounding his return but plans to let his performance speak for itself, adding that he is also working with a nutritionist to manage his weight.

Rodtang lost the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title in 2024 after missing weight. He is aiming to use a Grand Prix victory as a springboard back to the top of the division.

Rodtang is one of ONE Championship's highest-paid fighters — in 2023 it was announced he was guaranteed a fight purse of 10 million baht ($298,000) per bout. ONE Championship said in April that his total purses and bonuses over the past four years had reached 70.3 million baht, about 3.2 billion won.


yjc@heraldcorp.com