Rodtang addresses ONE lawsuit, says he still respects Chatri and is open to talks

Rodtang Jitmuangnon held a press conference at his home in Chachoengsao on April 18 over his dispute with ONE Championship, after being sued for 542 million baht in Thailand over allegations of breach of contract and defamation, as well as what the promotion says is a move to protect its brand. The claim does not yet include legal action in two other countries, Japan and Singapore.

Rodtang’s legal team said the matter is now before the courts and that they must respect the judicial process, declining to comment publicly on the detailed facts of the case.

They said, however, that they have clear and sufficient evidence to present to the court so that all issues can be fully considered.

As for Rodtang’s scheduled bout in Japan on April 29, 2026, his team said he remains ready and willing to travel and compete as planned.

At the same time, his lawyers are in contact with ONE Championship’s legal team to request delivery of the fully executed original contract signed in accordance with company standards back in 2022.

They said Rodtang’s team has still not received that completed contract and believes it may not yet be legally binding.

According to the statement, Rodtang has received only a copy of a contract document that he signed in November 2025. That copy bears only Rodtang’s signature, while an authorised director of ONE has not signed it.

His legal team said this is a significant concern because if the document was never executed by an authorised representative of the other party, it could mean the contract is not legally enforceable.

That, they added, could also affect issues of legal protection in the event of an accident or any other incident arising during work or competition.

Rodtang’s lawyers said they have formally written to ONE Championship’s legal representatives requesting that a complete and properly executed original contract be sent to Rodtang by today.

They also referred to an email from ONE Championship’s legal team in Singapore sent to Rodtang and his lawyers, which included the wording: “…your contract with ONE should be treated as frozen…”.

Rodtang’s legal team said this appeared to mean that the contract should be regarded as temporarily suspended because of legal proceedings in several countries.

They said that wording could be interpreted as implying that Rodtang’s scheduled fight in Japan on April 29, 2026 had effectively been suspended as well.

However, they are now seeking official clarification from ONE’s legal team in Singapore on whether Rodtang is still permitted to compete under that status, so that he can act properly without affecting the rights of any party.

Rodtang’s team also rejected speculation that he wants to leave the organisation for better financial terms elsewhere.

They said that before the 2022 contract expired in March 2026, Rodtang’s legal team had been in continuous contact with ONE Championship from January this year to negotiate and improve the contract terms.

That process, they said, included a meeting in late February 2026 involving ONE executives, Rodtang and his legal team to discuss contractual issues.

However, up to now, Rodtang’s side says it has still not received a draft of any new contract from ONE. His lawyers said that reflects Rodtang’s intention to continue the contractual relationship in good faith.

Rodtang said: “I never received back the contract I signed in 2022. I asked for it many times, which made us feel something was unusual, because I have always respected ONE.

It was only towards the end of 2025 that I finally got it, but even then there was no signature from a ONE executive on it.

“I still have a good friendship with them. I have always been a good kid and I am ready to negotiate. I have no plans to move to another organisation because I still respect ONE. I’m still ready to fight, do my duty and bring victories back for the Thai people.

“I still haven’t spoken to P’Chatri. I confirm I have no problem with him. I still love and respect him as always. I just want to protect my own rights. I do not want to fight with P’Chatri. He is the man who made my life better.

“I’m always at home. P’Chatri can come and see me any time, or I can go and see him. Even at this point, I still have no intention of running away from ONE.”