Rodtang Jitmuangnon's Opponent Bares Blueprint To Beating Muay Thai's Pound-For-Pound King

ONE Championship has stacked the deck in its favor by pulling out all the stops to put on a must-watch show for fans in the United States with ONE on Prime Video 1.

The headlining bouts of the card will see ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes take on Demetrious Johnson in their rematch, while Nong-O Gaiyanghadao will look to extend his bantamweight Muay Thai title defense streak to six wins against Liam Harrison.

But before fans are treated to those massive fights, Muay Thai star Rodtang Jitmuangnon takes on Cyprus' Savvas Michael in the semifinals of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix.

Michael has been a staple in ONE Super Series since signing with the promotion in 2019, and he believes that all he needs to do is get Rodtang riled up during the fight and the finals slot is as good as his.

"When he (Rodtang) gets angry he lets his emotions get in the way. Every fighter is vulnerable to that same problem. That's why I always tell you that whoever makes the first mistake loses. As for Rodtang, he loses his temper more than a lot of us," Michael said in a recent interview.

"I see that when Rodtang gets angry, that's when he does a lot of mistakes. He has some mental lapses when he tries to keep his composure and feels that he has to regain his A-game."

Michael hopes to be the first man to defeat Rodtang in Muay Thai since he made his debut in the Singapore-based combat sports organization in 2018.

The Thai superstar is carrying with him a superb 10-win fight streak that featured victories against the likes of England's Jonathan Haggerty, Danial Williams of Australia and Brazil's Walter Goncalves.

Taking out Rodtang whether via decision or by knockout is of little importance to Michael as a win of any kind for the Cypriot puts him on a potential collision course with Rodtang once again if he wins the Grand Prix, but the rematch would then be for the flyweight Muay Thai title.

Michael already has a man in his corner as the aforementioned Harrison is hoping that the Cypriot can pull off the upset against Rodtang.

"I'm really looking forward to him and Rodtang because if there's a foreigner who can beat him at that weight, it is Savvas [Michael]. God knows what's going to happen in that fight, but as I said, if anyone can beat Rodtang it's him," Harrison pointed out.

Meanwhile, Rodtang's countryman in Nong-O is confident that no fighter on the planet can stay in step with the flyweight Muay Thai king because of his fight IQ.

The winner between Rodtang and Michael will go on to face the victor of the other semifinal duel between Goncalves and Superlek Kiatmuu9 in the finals of the Grand Prix.

Combat sports fans only need to wait for two more weeks before ONE on Prime Video 1 takes place as the top three bouts of the card could see some unexpected names coming out victorious.

ONE on Prime Video 1 will air in the United States via Amazon Prime Video on August 26 at 9:00 PM ET.