Rodtang Jitmuangnon failed to make weight for his scheduled ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title defense against Jacob Smith.
Because of this, the Thai has been stripped of his belt. Additionally, both him and Smith will now fight at a catchweight of 135.5 pounds at ONE 169 on Saturday, November 9, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Smith, however, will still be eligible to win the belt should he beat the now-former ONE World Champion. He will also get 20 percent of Rodtang’s fight purse.
If rumors are true that the fighter from Jitmuangnon bags $300,000 per fight, that means Smith walks away with an additional 60K on top of his own purse. Plus, if he knocks out Rodtang, he can earn a $50,000 bonus.
Just minutes before Rodtang failed to show during the weigh-in window, he posted the above message on Instagram.
“In the 7 years we’ve been together, I‘ve done my best. If we part ways, I won’t go far. I promise to bring you back. I‘ve done my best.”
Is Rodtang Getting Too Big To Compete At Flyweight?
This isn’t the first time Rodtang Jitmuangnon has missed weight.
At ONE 167 in July of 2024, he was scheduled to fight Denis Puric under kickboxing rules in the flyweight division. But “The Iron Man” came in over the limit and the bout moved to a 141.25-pound catchweight fight.
That said, perhaps he is getting too big to compete at flyweight. Maybe, just maybe, we could see him move up to bantamweight, a division in which two of his old rivals have found success.
First, Jonathan Haggerty went up to bantamweight after fighting — and losing to — Rodtang twice. Haggerty stormed through the top-five and stopped Nong-O Hama, taking his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title in the process.
Then fans recently saw Rodtang’s former foe in Superlek Kiatmoo9 move up from flyweight to bantamweight. There, he took the strap that Haggerty had won from Nong-O.
This could be the perfect time for Rodtang to make the move and finish business with either man.
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