‘I Have Excuses for It’- Rodtang Jitmuangnon Clarifies Missing Weight at ONE 167 and Reacts to Denis Puric Agreeing for a Catchweight Clash

Yesterday was a highly controversial day for ONE Championship and its current Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion, Rodtang Jitmuangnon. Just a day before ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Jo Nattawut at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, Rodtang was scheduled to face the #2-ranked Muay Thai contender, Denis Puric, in a flyweight kickboxing bout. However, chaos erupted at the event when Rodtang failed the weight and hydration requirements for the scheduled fight.

Consequently, during the official weigh-ins, he initially failed the hydration test and weighed in at 138.5 pounds, exceeding the 135-pound flyweight limit by 3.5 pounds, Puric later agreed to fight at a catchweight. Following this, Rodtang expressed his gratitude to Puric and apologized to his fans on his Instagram reels.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon expresses apology and gratitude

Coming off an injury, Rodtang Jitamuangnon last fought at ONE Friday Fight 34, where he lost his first Muay Thai fight against kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9. Later, in December 2023, he was scheduled to fight Japanese star Takeru Segawa. However, the fight didn’t happen because Rodtang sustained another injury, which delayed his return to the fight this year.

Now, after a long layoff and the recent weigh-in controversy, Rodtang sent an apology via a video uploaded to the ONE Championship Instagram page, to Denis Puric and his fans. He said, “Denis thank you so much for still agreeing to this fight. I am sorry to disappoint you all.” Rodtang further explained his weight miss, stating, “I have been away for a year, and I have excuses for it. I made a mistake. Keep it up, let’s go Thailand.”

More worryingly, however, this is not the first time Rodtang Jitmuangnon has experienced this kind of issue. Before his fight at the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix in 2022, Rodtang faced the same situation where he was forced to pull out of the fight due to complications with weight and hydration. In an interview, the Thai Champ justified the situation.

Rodtang’s explanation for Grand Prix exit

Missing weight is arguably the most embarrassing situation an athlete can face. They train relentlessly for a fight, only to have it called off for a seemingly avoidable reason. This is exactly what happened to Rodtang Jitmuangnon. His weight controversy isn’t the first time he’s faced the issue. In 2022, “The Iron Man” unfortunately found himself in the same situation, and this time, it forced him out of the entire fight, not just a catchweight division.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the Muay Thai Champion explained the reason behind his weight miss that led to his exit from the Grand Prix. He revealed that timing was a major issue. According to Rodtang, his initial plan was to arrive in Singapore five days before the fight, but due to unforeseen delays, he only reached three days prior. This, he explained, was the reason for the missed weigh-in.

This resulted in Rodtang Jitmuangnon being replaced in the tournament by his training partner, Panpayak Jitmuangnon. Panpayak dominated most of his fights, but ultimately fell to Kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the final round of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix, which took place at ONE 164. Now, with the dust settled, the question remains: will the recent weight controversy impact Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s upcoming fight against Denis Puric? Stay tuned for more!