ONE X: Demetrious Johnson hopes to take advantage of MMA round in super-fight against Rodtang

Bengaluru, March 17: Demetrious Johnson looks to take advantage of the mixed martial arts rounds in the super-fight against Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X on Saturday (March 26), but he's not resting on his laurels - even if the rules give him an edge.

The pair will meet in the first ever super-fight in ONE Championship. The four-round flyweight fight will alternate between ONE Super Series Muay Thai rules and ONE's global ruleset for mixed martial arts.

"Rodtang is with a great camp. I know he's really strong. I know he's going to have a great takedown defense. I know he's going to hit like a horse," the MMA icon stated.

"He's the best Muay Thai fighter in the world, now [training] in mixed martial arts, so nothing will surprise me. We're going to go out there, fight, test his stand up, test his grappling, test everything, and just compete."

Therefore, the 12-time MMA World Champion "Mighty Mouse" is aware that their historic fight will be a grind, given his opponent's sturdy chin that enables him to press forward against tough opponents.

"Rodtang has been hit with everything. 'Mini T' [Danial Williams] has clipped him. Jonathan Haggerty has clipped him. Everybody he fights, he has been clipped," the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Champion expressed.

"I've never been the athlete to go into a fight banking on myself to knock somebody out or submit somebody. I will go in there, and I think to myself, 'This is going to be a long 12-minute fight.'"

Some pundits believe that Johnson will submit "The Iron Man" Rodtang during the MMA rounds. However, that's easier said than done, given that each round will last for three minutes instead of five.

"[The MMA rounds] allow me to start doing more things, but only for three minutes, and within those, the fight still starts on the feet," the AMC Pankration and Evolve MMA competitor pointed out.

"So, let's say I get the fight down with two minutes left. I have to start going over submissions, beat him up, try to ground and pound him."

Undoubtedly, their epic clash during ONE Championship's tenth-anniversary show will gain much attention. However, the alternating nature of the fight led the 35-year-old American to compare their contest to a superhero battle.

"When I sit down and think about this fight, for the first and third round, it's basically like Batman fighting Superman, and he knows he has a kryptonite ring," the flyweight with a 30-3-1 career MMA record added.

"In the second and fourth round, he gets to use it, but he's only got three minutes!"

"Mighty Mouse" won't become one of the sport's best if he did not learn to adapt within every fight. To him, that's precisely his key to victory against the current ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion.

"I've got three minutes to put this guy away. So, do I think he can take a flush knee to the face? Absolutely.

"Do I think he can hold his breath underwater if I cut off his blood supply to his brain? Probably not. But like I said, I plan on mixing it up and just going out there and fighting," Johnson said.

The Super-Fight Rules

Each round will be three minutes long with one minute of rest between them, and the battle will kick off with the ball in "The Iron Man's" court.

Round 1: Muay Thai

Round 2: MMA

Round 3: Muay Thai

Round 4: MMA

The entire bout will be contested with 4-ounce MMA-style gloves.

• In the Muay Thai rounds, an athlete can win by knockout or via TKO if they score three knockdowns in a single round.

• In the mixed martial arts rounds, an athlete can win by knockout, TKO, or submission.

• If a fighter is stopped, there will be no further rounds.

• If the match goes the distance, the result will be declared a draw, with no judges' decision.

Source: Media Release