ONE Championship is preparing for its fourth visit to Japan with ONE 173, but the road to this event has taken several hard turns. Initially, the promotion had planned to hold the card in the United States in August, but complications forced them to change course. On top of that, Stamp Fairtex’s post-surgery recovery and the collapse of multiple targeted title fights pushed the event to November 16.

But that wasn’t the end of the trouble. The ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship fight between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Nong-O Hama was called off after ONE announced on social media that “Rodtang has pulled out from his fight” because of feeling “unwell”, according to their medical team. The announcement immediately sent shockwaves through the martial arts community. Now, after hours of uncertainty, Rodtang Jitmuangnon has finally shared a health update from the hospital.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon revealed that his “body isn’t in good condition”

Fans now have to wait a little longer to see Rodtang Jitmuangnon back in action. Recently, Rodtang shared a picture straight from the hospital on his Instagram, showing himself on a hospital bed with IV drips attached to his forearms.

“I gave everything I had,” Rodtang Jitmuangnon wrote. “I pushed myself as far as I could, but my body just couldn’t handle it… want to become champion again, yet if my body isn’t in good condition, ONE cannot let me fight. I accept that, and I sincerely hope we meet again in my next fight. I’m sorry to all the fans who have been waiting to see me and have always supported me.”

Earlier that day, Rodtang made weight and passed the hydration test, hitting 133.8 pounds on the scale. But unfortunately, his opponent, Nong-O Hama, failed the hydration test, which forced the promotion to cancel the bout. Consequently, they will reschedule the fight for a later date. A year ago, the 28-year-old Rodtang lost his title after missing weight for the second straight time.

To fix that, he teamed up with nutritionist Peter Miller to tighten his fitness and smooth out his weight cuts. The move paid off, as Rodtang came back strong with a win over Takeru Segawa in March. Still, rumors about his potential move to the bantamweight division linger, leaving his future in that weight class uncertain. However, back in February, Rodtang confidently made it clear that he isn’t going anywhere.

ONE star vows, “I will stay here”

After struggling to make weight, Rodtang Jitmuangnon briefly considered moving up to bantamweight, particularly after his face-off with Nabil Anane in Japan, where the towering Thai-Algerian star made him appear comparatively small. The moment sparked laughter and jokes on social media. However, Rodtang admitted that he doesn’t want to dodge the bigger fighters and prefers to remain in the flyweight.

“Oh no, no, no. I will stay here now,” Rodtang told the Bangkok Post. “It’s 50-50–Nabil, Superlek, I’m not sure,” he added. “Nabil has big weight. Superlek’s IQ is very good. But they have the same power, low kick, body shot–everything is 50-50, so yeah, no [prediction].” So, instead of moving up to bantamweight, Rodtang is focusing on reclaiming his flyweight belt.

He also wants to settle an old score with Superlek in a kickboxing showdown. However, Rodtang left the final decisions to ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong, saying, “I don’t know what the boss wants.”

Now, after falling ill, Rodtang’s hopes of reclaiming the title have been put on hold. Everything depends on the boss and the matchmakers when they schedule Rodtang Jitmuangnon again for the belt. Fans will have to stay tuned for further updates.