By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Superlek Kiatmoo9 just pulled off the biggest victory of his professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) career after taking down the legendary Rodtang Jitmuangnon during the ONE Muay Thai 140-pound catchweight main event last September 23, 2023.
In front of a sell-out Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, two of the best Muay Thai fighters in the world put up a fight for the ages that featured an action-packed three-round duel.
However, it was Superlek who got the last laugh after scoring a unanimous decision win over Rodtang.
Superlek banked on his quick and powerful leg kicks to slow down the usual high-octane pace of Rodtang.
Aside from the leg kick strategy, Superlek’s pressure in the first two rounds also helped him neutralize Rodtang’s aggressive striking and built his momentum from the distance.
Rodtang had his moments in the fight when he opened up a cut to Superlek’s forehead with a booming elbow that put the crowd on their feet.
Superlek then retaliated in the following round, scoring a much-needed eight-count knockdown after hitting Rodtang’s face with a sneaky elbow.
Despite getting knocked down, Rodtang still hounded Superlek with immense pressure, tailing him the whole third round while also desperately looking for a knockout to chase his score deficit.
Superlek then fought a clever third round and didn’t allow Rodtang to cut to his desired striking distance. He mixed it up by backpedaling to throw the leg kicks and also moved forward to throw short elbows.
With the huge victory, Superlek just ended Rodtang’s 14-fight winning streak since entering the ONE promotion last 2018.
