Thai icon Sam-A establishes flyweight dominance
Haggerty stuns Thai legend, signals generational shift
Sam-A wrote history, Haggerty showcased his class, Rodtang dominated
The ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship stands as one of the most prestigious titles in combat sports.
Since its inception in May 2018, the 135-pound division has delivered unforgettable battles between Thailand’s most decorated stadium legends and hungry international contenders seeking to prove themselves inside ONE Championship.
Only three warriors have held the honor of wearing 26 pounds of flyweight Muay Thai gold around their waists.
From a living legend to an English phenom who shocked the world, and ultimately to the fighter whose dominance redefined what’s possible at 135 pounds, each man has left an indelible mark during his time atop the throne.
Before the vacant crown goes up for grabs at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri when Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon and Nong-O Hama meet inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Sunday, November 16, let’s examine the complete history of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship.
Thai Icon Sam-A Establishes Flyweight Dominance
The foundation of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship began with a living legend who had already conquered Thailand’s most hallowed arenas.
After dismantling Joseph Lasiri in the world’s largest martial arts organization’s first-ever Muay Thai contest in January 2018, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao earned a shot at the inaugural crown against Suriname striker Sergio Wielzen four months later.
The Evolve MMA representative showcased the technical mastery forged across 400 professional bouts, as he dropped his foe for good with a crushing left kick to the liver to earn the accolade as the division’s first-ever kingpin.
His reign came to an end at the hands of a 22-year-old Englishman in May 2019, but it proved to be just the beginning of what would become one of the most remarkable runs in ONE history.
Seven months later, Sam-A went on to make history as the promotion’s first-ever two-sport ONE World Champion when he captured the newly minted ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title following a five-round thriller with “Golden Boy” Wang Junguan.
In February 2020, the Buriram native completed his unprecedented takeover of the strawweight striking divisions when he became the first ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion with a masterful unanimous decision victory over Rocky Ogden.
Today, even at 41 years old, the Thai legend shows no signs of slowing down. Most recently, Sam-A claimed the 376th victory of his remarkable career with a unanimous decision over Thway Lin Htet at ONE Friday Fights 126 this past September.
Haggerty Stuns Thai Legend, Signals Generational Shift
Jonathan “The General” Haggerty‘s reign instantly announced him as a legitimate threat to the very best wizards in Muay Thai.
The Englishman debuted with a chilling display against Lasiri. Then he did what few could have imagined in his sophomore outing, dethroning the legendary Sam-A to capture the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship at ONE: FOR HONOR in May 2018.
Haggerty’s technical brilliance and calculated aggression dropped the Thai veteran twice across five rounds and bagged him a unanimous decision victory to become the second king of the 135-pound division and, up until now, the only non-Thai to have ever held the crown.
On top of the world, the Knowlesy Academy and Team Underground warrior instantly called for a fight against a Thai striking maestro whose name would become synonymous with the division’s 26 pounds of gold – Rodtang.
After suffering back-to-back losses to one of the most entertaining strikers of this generation, the Londoner bounced back with successive victories before his growing physique necessitated a move to bantamweight.
The weight change proved transformative. In April 2023, Haggerty put the legendary Nong-O to sleep in the first round and became the first fighter to beat him in the organization, capturing the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship in the process.
Seven months later, he earned the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship when he knocked out Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade in the main event of ONE Fight Night 16 to become a two-sport king.
Unfortunately, Haggerty lost his double-champ status when “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 sent him to the canvas at ONE 168: Denver last year.
But his mission to re-establish himself as a double champion continues when he faces reigning bantamweight Muay Thai king Nabil Anane at ONE 173 in November.
Rodtang’s Era Of Dominance
Sam-A wrote history. Haggerty showcased his class. Rodtang dominated.
The Thai emerged as the division’s greatest kingpin by capturing the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship from Haggerty in their first meeting in August 2019.
After acing his first test, Rodtang scored a third-round TKO of “The General” in their rematch five months later, ruling over the 135-pound division for years to come.
He displayed the relentless pressure, devastating power, and an entertainment value that made him one of ONE Championship’s biggest superstars, defending his throne successfully five times.
From technical strikers to aggressive brawlers, Rodtang found ways to break them all. His signature combination of suffocating forward pressure, granite chin, and finishing instinct was poetry in motion.
The 28-year-old Thai has lost just a single striking bout across 19 thrilling appearances in ONE Championship, which came against ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek in September 2023.
A tough 2024 saw Rodtang being stripped of his prized possession. But it only brought out a much more dangerous version of the already feared striking technician when he returned to the global stage.
“The Iron Man” delivered a stunning 80-second knockout of Japanese kickboxing legend Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa in a dream flyweight kickboxing war at ONE 172 in Saitama, Japan.
Now, he faces former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O, seeking to reclaim what he considers rightfully his on a card that should deliver non-stop fireworks in Tokyo, Japan — ONE 173.
