Rodtang is fair game but Johan Ghazali will not fight Nong-O

Rodtang is a massive figure in Muay Thai and has served as a huge inspiration for a new wave of fighters to ply their trade in this sport. That includes Johan Ghazali who will clash with Zakaria El Jamari in a Muay Thai matchup at ONE Fight Night 35 on September 5th.

Ghazali appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts and touched on how the ONE flyweight Muay Thai rankings are stacked with notable names like Nong-O, Rodtang, and Superlek as well.

When speaking to the competitive drive that is inspired from being part of a weight category with this depth at the top and Rodtang being someone who has served as a big inspiration to him, Ghazali said,

“Definitely. You know, this is what everyone comes to ONE Championship for is to compete against the best. To be the best, you need to fight the best. Yeah, there’s so many big names. There’s Rodtang, there’s Kongthoranee [Sor Sommai]. I would never fight Nong-O because Nong-O is like a big brother for me, you know.”

“He teaches me so much here. But other than that, you know, I would fight anyone. You know, it’s very cool to be in this division with all these legends and even be mentioned in the same level as them. So if I was given the opportunity to fight any one of them, I would. So yeah.”

 

Rodtang vs. Nong-O has potential to ‘break viewership records’ per ONE figurehead Chatri Sityodtong

Rodtang and Nong-O will battle it out at ONE 173 in Tokyo on November 16th for the vacant Muay Thai flyweight belt in what is undoubtedly a gigantic contest within the art of eight limbs. ONE Championship CEO and chairman Chatri Sityodtong has gone as far as to express that it will break records as far as the amount of eyeballs it will have on it.

Via The ONE Podcast, Chatri confirmed the Rodtang vs. Nong-O title matchup and in describing how he sees the fight performing in terms of drawing in outside attention, Sityodtong stated, [via Bangkok Post],

“Rodtang versus Nong-O will break viewership records for Muay Thai. The most watched fight in Muay Thai history was Rodtang versus Superlek, and my team and I agree that this fight will be bigger than that.”

This flyweight belt is a title that Rodtang held for over half a decade before eventually losing it on the scales last November in Bangkok before his planned bout with Jacob Smith.

Conversely, Nong-O held the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai championship for several years at one point and now eyes two division champion status under the ONE Championship banner.