KUCHING: Gutted by his defeat, Rodtang Jitmuangnon has apologised to his supporters after losing to Nong-O Hama by unanimous decision in the ONE Flyweight Muaythai World Grand Prix quarter-finals at Lumpinee Stadium on Friday (Nov 13) night.
The 29-year-old admitted the defeat had hit him hard, posting a message to fans shortly after the fight.
“I’m truly sorry for letting you down. I gave it everything I had. I feel deeply disappointed and heartbroken,” Rodtang wrote.
“But if my fans still want me to keep fighting, I’ll be ready to fight again for every single one of you who still loves and believes in me.”
Rodtang had spent much of the second round trying to recover after Nong-O dropped him with the cleanest shot of the fight.
Instead of backing away, he went straight back at the 40-year-old, forcing the pace and trading through a rough stretch that left both men marked up by the end of the round.
That urgency carried into the final three minutes, but Nong-O had already done enough across the fight to take the decision on all three scorecards.
The defeat ended Rodtang’s run in the Grand Prix, where he had been chasing another route back towards the flyweight crown he once held.
Nong-O is now slated to venture forth to the semi-finals against Japan’s Shimon for a seat in the finals.
Rodtang’s message after the fight, however, suggested the loss has not changed his appetite to continue.
If his supporters still want him there, he said, he will keep fighting.
