In 2021, Flyweight Muay Thai world champion "Iron Man" Rotang disrupted the game plan due to the new crown infection, but he still won two very important matches. On February 26, "ONE: Fist of Flames", Rotang took the first step in the crossover, came to the kickboxing field to try out the bull knife, defeating WMC I-1 Global champion Khalilov. On April 8, "ONE: The World Was Shattered", Rotang returned to the Muay Thai arena and defeated WMC Muay Thai World Champion Daniel Williams in front of american audiences to win a ten-game winning streak.
"After winning the game in front of american audiences, my life changed a lot, my international reputation became louder and I became more likely to have more fans on social media, which made me proud. I come from a poor family and once lived in an old house with ten siblings. After becoming the ONE Championship World Champion, my life became better, I could buy a bigger house and take care of my brothers and sisters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I tried to help more people, which made me feel happy. ”
Rodang wants to set more records in the ring, and he is about to play a crossover match with mixed martial arts flyweight legend "Hercules" Dimites Johnson. The game will use the new Muay Thai + MMA "mixed" rules, the game will be a total of four rounds, the first and third rounds will be a Muay Thai with four ounces of finger punches, and the second and fourth rounds will use mixed martial arts rules. "Hercules is an American superstar, a legend of mixed martial arts, I've watched his game for a long time, I never thought of the opportunity to play with him, this is a historic match for me, the most precious opportunity of my life, and a good opportunity to practice MMA seriously."
However, before playing this crossover match, Rotang was unfortunately infected with the new crown virus. "I never thought I would get infected, but luckily as a boxer, my body has always been strong, so the symptoms are not serious. I self-isolated at the hotel for 14 days, my appetite and sense of smell were not affected, just let the race plan be postponed. But it also gave me more time to prepare. "Now that He has recovered, Rotang is actively preparing for the battle, hoping to win a historic victory under special rules.
"Hercules was a great boxer and his ground technique was far above mine, so I had to learn how to survive a ground fight and my coach worked hard to teach me defensive skills. The instructor praised me for studying quickly and being able to memorize the essentials of various ground defenses. It's a mixed-rules game, we all have different strengths, it depends on who can play their best. We hadn't played any of these rules, and inevitably we would feel nervous, I would be nervous when I went on the ground, and he would be nervous about playing Muay Thai rules with me. I definitely don't want to go into the ground with him and try to use Muay Thai skills in a standing state. It's a game with little gloves, anyone can get knocked out, and people who make mistakes get into trouble. If he had given me the chance to hit him hard, I would have planned to ko him in the first round, but I'm sure he wouldn't be going head-to-head with me under Muay Thai rules and would have avoided getting hits by moving his feet. ”
In 2022, Rotang is ready to show his fists in the mixed martial arts arena. "In my career, I will take MMA seriously and want to be a MMA champion in the future." Like Stamp, Rotang may have made a wish for the Triple Crown, can he fulfill it?