Black Belt Team 
Fans in the United States will experience that for the first time in-person on May 5 with Rodtang defends the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship against Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 10. Coming to America and helping grow the sport is something Rodtang is very appreciative of as he eyes his latest title defense.
“I’m glad and honored to receive this chance from ONE Championship to fight in the USA. It’s a dream of all the boxers who want to be elevated to the international level,” Rodtang told ONE.
“I’d like to thank ONE Championship for giving me this opportunity to show the art of Muay Thai to everyone all over the world and to have everyone in the U.S. love Muay Thai even more and admire and support Muay Thai more.”
The Thai star admits there is pressure on him for this title defense. However, “The Iron Man” has self-confidence in his abilities that meets those pressures. For Rodtang, a victory is secondary. He merely wants to go out and perform to his best capabilities and give the fans a show.
“I don’t think about winning and losing. I just want to do my part and show the fans who I am, making them happy. They can tell their friends they have watched Rodtang and see how entertaining, aggressive, and fun it is,” said the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion.
Tabares enters the title tilt as a question mark. The Mexican striker has not competed on the global stage before, and his ONE debut will be in the co-main event of the stacked lineup of ONE Fight Night 10.
In preparation for the defense of his gold, Rodtang has looked at his opponent’s previous matches to get a gauge on what he will bring into the Circle with him on May 5. But he knows he won’t truly know what Tabares will have for him until he feels it in person.
“I cannot know [how good he is] from watching the videos. The videos show he has powerful punches. He has aggressively knocked out many opponents and so on,” said Rodtang.
“It’s like how I fought with Jacob Smith, who had the most dangerous weapons [in his previous fights]. But once we fought, what really happened (a dominant win for Rodtang) was absolutely opposite from what they said about him.”
The glimpse into Rodtang’s mindset should only excite fans more. He is not a champion that becomes defensive to hold onto his gold. He has maintained his exciting, aggressive style in each match since.
So when the bell rings for his match against Tabares in Colorado, fans will almost assuredly see another incredible slugfest from the Thai superstar.
“I don’t know how great [Tabares] is, but every single fight matters to me. I always do my best. I just want to do each fight my very best, whether I lose or win,” said Rodtang.
“I don’t see myself as an unbeatable superstar. Not at all. I just want to put my all into fighting and do my best in showing who I am. That’s all.”
ONE Fight Night 10 airs live on Friday, May 5, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Prime Video. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.
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