THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Rodtang expects 'Burmese Python' to prevail in tough battle against 'Dutch Knight'

Rodtang expects 'Burmese Python' to prevail in tough battle against 'Dutch Knight'

It takes one amazing fighter to know and recognise another.

When One flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon met reigning One middleweight and light heavyweight world champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang for the very first time, it was an instant connection.

The two fierce competitors found they both had a lot in common, and quickly became good friends.

“I got to know Aung La since the One Championship Athletes Retreat in Phuket. Since then, we’ve become good friends and we always chat every now and then,” said Rodtang.

“I also got to compete in the same event as him a few times. He’s quite a nice guy, very friendly. We always chat on social media.”

Aung La is scheduled to defend his One middleweight world title against top contender Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder of The Netherlands on October 30 in Singapore at "One: Inside The Matrix". It’s the headline bout, and one of four world title matches on schedule, which will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Rodtang, who admires Aung La’s fighting spirit and sees a lot of himself in “The Burmese Python”, is pulling for his friend to successfully defend his title, but equally expects a close and entertaining, fan-friendly fight.

“Aung La is a tough fighter with a lot of heart. I never see him give up in any fight, no matter how hard things get for him. He’s the same kind of fighter as I am. We don’t have any quit in us. We both have the same goal, which is to keep fighting and winning, and working hard to be the best,” said Rodtang.

“I have a feeling this will be a very close fight. Overall, I think Aung La is the more well-rounded fighter, and he should have a few key advantages. Even as a Muay Thai athlete myself, I can sign off on Aung La’s striking. He’s a tough fighter with good skills. It’s hard to pick a winner for this fight, but Aung La might be the one. Let’s see.”

Also on the card is One featherweight world champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Vietnam and Australia, who is set to defend his title against third-ranked contender Thanh Le of Vietnam and the United States in the co-main event of the evening.

One lightweight world champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee of Singapore will make the first defence of his lightweight belt against top contender Iuri Lapicus of Moldova.

Lastly, reigning One women’s strawweight world champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China defends her title against Singapore’s Tiffany “No Chill” Teo in a highly-anticipated rematch.

Like millions of fans from around the world, Rodtang will be glued to his television screen to catch all the action, but more importantly, to support his friend Aung La.

“I’ll definitely be watching for sure,” Rodtang said.

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