Top 5 : The Best Rodtang Fights in history – Countdown Ahead of one ONE 172
The career of the Thai superstar Rodtang has been quite a long one with many highs and lows. At his peak, he was the ONE flyweight Muay Thai champion, and his incredibly exciting bouts were some of the best competition one can face in the world of kickboxing and Muay Thai. So today, we will be counting down the top five battles in the striking career of the “Iron Man” Rodtang, ahead of his historic fight against Takeru at ONE 172.
5. Rodtang Vs. Sergio Wielzen
In Rodtang’s debut, he would face off against Surnamese former kickboxing and Muay Thai champion Sergio Wielzen, in which he would show off his incredible skills, showcasing his entire skill case, his boxing combinations, kicks, and very underrated trips and throws against a championship level fighter, and empathetic introduction for the “Iron Man” to the world on the biggest stage in the world of martial arts.
4. Rodtang Vs. Yuki Taguchi
Before his debut in ONE Championship, “Iron Man” Rodtang excelled in the kickboxing scene. In 2018, he faced off against Yuki Taguchi, a three-time RISE kickboxing world champion known for his incredible work rate and frequency of fights. In this match, the Thai showcased his skills at what appeared to be his absolute physical and mental peak. He engaged in an intense battle with the three-division champion, outworking Taguchi with his powerful inside boxing. Rodtang dropped Taguchi twice in the latter half of the bout, delivering an astonishing performance that proved his capabilities on one of the biggest stages in kickboxing.
3. Rodtang Vs. Johnathan Haggerty 2
This is arguably Rodtang’s greatest win in his entire career, as in the first bout against Haggerty, before he would become a two-sport two-division champion at bantamweight in ONE. In the rematch, he would face off against Rodtang in an attempt to reclaim his ONE flyweight Muay Thai title from Rodtang, who beat him in a close bout in the first match. The rematch would go disastrously for Haggerty as the Thai superstar had his number, and the rematch would not be close as the “Iron Man” would put a beatdown on Johnathan Haggerty and finish in the third round with brutal body shots, proving himself as the king of the flyweight division.
2. Rodtang Vs. Superlek
Despite this fight being a loss for the Thai superstar, Rodtang would once again prove what many of us already knew about him. Despite the size and his incredible resolve in the face of adversity, he is willing to throwdown with anyone. Superlek, a generational great in terms of accolades, skills, and titles, is now a current two-division and two-sport champion after dethroning Johnathan Haggerty in under a minute. However, when these two face off in 2023, Superlek would miss weight by five pounds. So Rodtang was not just at a size disadvantage but a weight disadvantage.
However, this wouldn’t deter the come-forward fighter as in the first round; the Thai tank would cut up Superlek with elbows badly, and despite getting dropped with a brutal elbow, that would’ve finished most. The then-champion rose to his feet quickly and recovered fast. Despite getting outstruck for the rest of the fight and losing the decision, Rodtang proved himself capable of defending against a much larger opponent and one of a high skill level. Incredible story, drama, and a banger of a fight for the “Iron Man.”
1. Rodtang Vs. Tenshin Nasukawa
The most incredible fight in the history of the “Iron Man’s” long career in striking when he faced off against the greatest of his generation, bar none, in kickboxing and now a top-ranked boxer, the great Tenshin Nasukawa. Tenshin has been making easy work of championship-level fighters and even defeating the 2nd greatest of his generation and Rodtang’s current top rival, Takeru Segawa. This was one of the toughest tests of the Thai’s career and an incredible showing of his grit, pressure, and the best showing of his iron chin.
As the then relatively unknown Thai fighter would come forward and give one to take one against Tenshin, who landed multiple vicious counter boxing combinations that have put other top-level fighters down and for the count, even dropping Takeru, Rodtang would show his otherworldly chin in his attempt to get to the Japanese fighter and would even seemingly have him in trouble in the fight landed a plethora of body shots and kicks even when getting hit flush on his chin.
This fight was so competitive it even went to an extra round. Tenshin Nasukawa would win in an incredible that is not talked about enough. Despite the loss, the best was yet to come for the young Rodtang, who was only 19 years old at the time of this and look at him now, the face of Mauy Thai worldwide and the main event of the most anticipated fights of the decade if not the most anticipated fight. What a career and a story for the most exciting fighter in all of striking, good luck to the “Iron Man”, Rodtang.
