SUMMARY
- Rodtang Jitmuangnon had to withdraw from his kickboxing fight against Takeru Segawa at ONE 165.
- Days before the fight, the Thai megastar suffered an unfortunate hand injury.
It appears that ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon is back training for his next fight. “The Iron Man” has been nursing an injured hand that forced him to withdraw from a blockbuster showdown with Japanese kickboxing superstar Takeru Segawa last month.
He was replaced by ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9, who successfully defended his title by unanimous decision in the ONE 165 headliner at Tokyo, Japan’s Ariake Arena.
But Rodtang remains one of the biggest stars in Muay Thai, and his return to competition has been hotly anticipated. A rematch with Superlek, to whom he dropped a razor-thin decision in 2023, and the restoration of the Takeru fight have been mooted as possible options. If his latest Instagram post is anything to go by, it appears that the 26-year-old has begun preparations for whatever his next challenge is. “Always warm up first!” he wrote in the caption.
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The clip shows Rodtang hitting pads at Jitmuangnon Gym, including throwing punches with the left hand that previously sidelined him.
Fans react as Rodtang Jitmuangnon takes big Step toward return
Rodtang Jitmuangnon has set Instagram alight with his latest training video. The clip, which has been like more than 16,000 times, has fans talking as the Thai superstar takes a big leap forward in his recovery from injury.
Several eagle-eyed commenters, however, noticed that he was wearing large boxing gloves while punching the pads with his coach. The gloves, perhaps, are a measure to protect his left hand.
“Bro got those 24oz gloves on,” one fan noted. The flyweight Muay Thai king will no doubt be feeling the love if he reads the comments section, after numerous comments flooded in from fans expressing their joy at seeing him back in the gym.
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“Good to see you back in training bro!” one comment read. “Your comeback will be awesome,” a second added excitedly. “We missed you Rodtang,” a third gushed. “Love you Rodtang,” another wrote.
No date or opponent is on the horizon just yet, but Rodtang’s fresh training footage will only fuel the speculation. So who do you think will the Thai megastar fight next? Let us know in the comments below.