IN the lead-up to the biggest fight of his career, Rodtang "The Iron Man" Jitmuangnon wasn't experiencing his best year.
Once one of the most beloved combat sports stars in the world, the Thai megastar faced significant criticism — most of it fair as it stemmed from his inability to make weight and whether he was motivated to remain at the pinnacle of striking.
His difficult stretch culminated with him losing the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title to the scales after coming in overweight for his scheduled defense against Jacob Smith last year.
READ: Rodtang says long-delayed clash with Takeru 'worth waiting for'
But now Rodtang is ready to leave all of that behind. He showed up in the best shape of his life and secured an 80-second knockout win over Takeru "Natural Born Krusher" Segawa in their flyweight kickboxing super-fight at ONE 172 last Sunday, March 23, at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
"It feels like I just woke up from a bad dream. In the two past fights, I've been missing my weight, and I lost something that I cherish, that I love the most, my Muay Thai belt. I had to fight the criticism," he said.
For a fighter who eats punches like they're peanuts "The Iron Man" admitted that he was reduced to tears as his desire was repeatedly questioned. Some fans began to wonder what version of Rodtang would show up for his upcoming fights — this matchup against Takeru included.
Now easily the biggest superstar in the striking arts, the price of such fame was what he needed to excel in all aspects of the sport — and Rodtang surely received a wake-up call from that difficult period.
"I cried [while] sleeping. I was sleeping, and I cried because I felt like I lost that belt, not because I lost to my opponent, but because of myself that I couldn't make weight," he said.
"And that [woke] me up. It tells me that I have to work harder, I have to wake up in the morning and have to train hard, and I have to do anything that I can to get that belt back."
And that quick win over Takeru answered those questions and reminded everyone just how dangerous he still is with the right motivation.
"Now the answer clearly shows that I have found success again,” Rodtang said. “I remind myself every day during training how successful I was and why I became famous in the first place, and now I'm really dedicated."
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