“He don’t give two sh**s” – When Demetrious Johnson realized he can’t knockout Thailand’s Rodtang
Demetrious Johnson revealed why he had no option other than surviving the first round during his special rules bout with Rodtang Jitmuangnon
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Demetrious Johnson , Rodtang Jitmuangon ( via : MMA Fighting/Essentially Sports)
Demetrious Johnson is one of the greatest mixed martial artists to fight in the octagon. Despite his size, his achievements have been larger than life. Johnson is one of the craftiest guys who most of the time manages to triumph over any situation. However, his fight against Muay Thai flyweight World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon had him very worried.
Demetrious Johnson fought Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X: 10th Anniversary event in Singapore. The fight was a special rules bout featuring mixed alternating Muay Thai and MMA rounds. Johnson had never been in a Muay Thai match before this bout. To top it all, his first Muay Thai match was against someone considered one of the greatest. Rodtang’s ability to take punishment and his fight IQ is lauded by fans and opponents alike. While Johnson won the fight, Rodtang had him very worried in the first round.
“He don’t give two sh**s, I cracked him and he didn’t move, he kept on coming. I was like ‘ I can’t knock you out, I’m not gonna keep on trying all these shots but second round I’m gonna choke you out.” said Johnson during his appearance on Room Service Diaries. With Johnson having very little Muay Thai experience he almost tried to grapple many times in the Muay Thai round. However, during the MMA round Johnson stuck to his game plan and submitted Rodtang via a rear naked choke.
Demetrious Johnson was coming off a loss to Adriano Moraes in his fight with Rodtang. Johnson also stated that his fight with Rodtang was a breath of fresh air for him and helped in winning his second title fight against Moraes.
Demetrious Johnson explains how his fight with Rodtang helped him mentally overcome his loss against Adriano Moraes
Demetrious Johnson was knocked down for the first time during his match against Adriano Moraes. Moraes himself was a former ONE flyweight world champion. Moraes finished Johnson with a knee in the second round. While this loss was huge it did not stop the Mighty Mouse.
Johnson after his loss against Moraes fought Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a special rules bout. Johnson managed to submit Rodtang in the second round via a rear naked choke. After his fight with the Muay Thai legend, Johnson challenged Moraes again in 2022 and knocked him out to become the ONE flyweight world champion.
Johnson later revealed that his fight with Rodtang played a key role in helping him overcome his loss against Moraes.
“Sometimes, when you fight the same person, it can almost stop your growth as a mixed martial artist because you’re preparing for the same person over and over and over again. After I lost to Adriano, I fought Rodtang. I felt like that kind of gave me a breath of fresh air. It was something totally different,” Johnson said in his Sports Illustrated interview. Johnson and Moraes will meet on US soil for the third time in the octagon at ONE Fight Night 10.
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)