Rodtang Jitmuangnon has signed up with a renowned nutritionist ahead of his highly anticipated ONE Championship kickboxing super fight against Takeru Segawa in Japan.
The former flyweight Muay Thai champion will headline ONE 172 with the Japanese icon on March 23 at Saitama Super Arena.
But after losing his belt on the scale last month, on the heels of another weight miss in June, the 27-year-old Thai is taking no chances for what may be the biggest fight of his life.
Accordingly, he has hired Peter Miller of Condition Nutrition, who has a near flawless track record of getting fighters – including multiple ONE champions – safely on weight, while also passing the martial arts promotion’s unique hydration test system.
“We are delighted to have Rodtang join our team for his super fight against Takeru in March,” Miller told the Bangkok Post. “I firmly believe that now Rodtang is working with us, he won’t have any issues making weight.
“Unfortunately a lot of Thai fighters try to make weight in the completely wrong way, because of old methods that have long been passed down from their coaches.
“Now Rodtang will be following science-backed methods which have helped multiple world champions in ONE Championship make weight very comfortably.
“We are looking forward to getting started in the new year.”
Miller has successfully worked with current and former ONE champions Jonathan Haggerty, Superlek Kiatmoo9, Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom, Smilla Sundell, Jackie Buntan and Jonathan Di Bellla – many of whom have struggled with making weight in the past.
Rodtang’s decision comes after he officially missed weight three times in the last three years, with issues on multiple other occasions that nearly cost him big.
After losing 20 percent of his reported 10 million baht fight purse to Jacob Smith for November’s ONE 169 co-main event, “The Iron Man” is taking no risks when it comes to Takeru.
Perhaps wisely so, after ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong sent him a warning last week.
“This time Rodtang is hiring a professional nutritionist because I gave a very big warning to Rodtang – he cannot miss weight in Japan for this big fight,” Chatri told reporters during a media scrum after the ONE 172 announcement press conference in Japan.
“His last fight last month, he missed by half a pound – it was very, very close. It was just the water [hydration] he didn’t get.
“But he didn’t have a professional nutritionist. This time he will, the whole way through, the same way Superlek did when he fought Takeru.”
