Demetrious Johnson won’t feel like a fish out of water in his special rule set bout against muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
Johnson faces Rodtang in a in a hybrid MMA/muay Thai bout Saturday at ONE X from Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
The bout is scheduled for two rounds of muay Thai and two rounds of MMA. The first and third rounds will be contested under muay Thai rules, while the second and fourth will be fought under MMA rules, with each round duration set at three minutes.
Johnson, a former longtime UFC champion, is widely considered as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. He has used his well rounded skill set to reign over the flyweight division but is also confident in his muay Thai skills, even against the Thai superstar.
“I think being strategic is the better word that you’re looking for, not avoidance,” Johnson told MMA Junkie Radio. “Being strategic. Obviously my skillset is to be able to do everything. Even when I spar, I prefer mixed martial arts over kickboxing, boxing, muay Thai because it’s just the progression of an actual natural fight. For me, going out there, being strategic, using my footwork, using my feints, using my combinations, even using some of my clinch and muay Thai plum.
“Just going out there and competing, I guess you would say, will be my goal. Just go out there and fight. I’ve done muay Thai in my mixed martial arts fights. I’ve knocked out Henry Cejudo from a muay Thai clinch. I used it against John Dodson. I’ve used it in my whole entire mixed martial arts career. Granted, in ONE Championship, these guys are the best at muay Thai, so we’re just gonna go out there and fight and see how it goes.”
Johnson acknowledges that Rodtang doesn’t traditionally start out fast in his muay Thai fights but suspects that he’ll try and get a quick finish before he ventures into unfamiliar territory of MMA rules.
“If I had to bank money on it, he will start fast because there’s something at the end of the round that he’s never seen before,” Johnson said. “If you’re muay Thai, you start slow because you know you got the second, third and fourth round that’s still the same pace, but he knows the second round it’s going to be a different animal. It’s going to be a different pace. Just like for me, I know the first round is gonna be a different animal – it’s not a different animal I haven’t faced before, but I think to the degree and experience he has, it’s definitely a different animal, just what he’s done in muay Thai.”
What Demetrious Johnson expects from Rodtang at ONE X and why he’s comfortable with muay Thai aspect