ONE flyweight muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon knows more than most about how dangerous one half of the ONE Fight Night 12 main bout is

“The Iron Man” is a former foe of Tagir Khalilov, who is set to face Rodtang’s Thai compatriot Superlek Kiatmoo9 in flyweight muay Thai action in the July 14 headliner at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Rodtang was pushed to a hard-fought split decision by the Russian star in 2021, and he still names Khalilov as one of the top contenders in the stacked division over which he reigns.

“Tagir is one of the toughest fighters. His style is similar to mine. He’s not scared to trade weapons with opponents and take risks. He always aims to finish his opponent,” he said.

“Superlek must watch out for Tagir’s punch. He loves to punch a lot. And his punch is powerful.”

“Samingpri” rebounded from back-to-back losses in his first two ONE appearances to score a pair of first-round knockouts in his third and fourth fights, respectively.

He now stands as a true threat, but he will face a monumental challenge when he takes on Superlek this Friday.

The ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion returns to the muay Thai ranks riding an eight-fight winning streak, and his most recent victory came just three short weeks ago at ONE Friday Fights 22.

Rodtang credits his countrymen for the run he has put together and stresses that the 27-year-old is no one-trick pony despite his “The Kicking Machine” moniker.

“What I am impressed by is his determination. He always takes every fight seriously, and you can see his improvement in every single fight,” he said.

“Some people may say that he is easily predictable and that he only depends on his right shin, but now we can see that he is more aggressive and versatile in his fighting style. He has a deadly high kick, elbow, and counter techniques.”

A showdown between Superlek and Rodtang has long been teased, with the super-fight even going as far as a booking back in March.

Injury scuppered the contest on the occasion, but “The Iron Man” has been keeping an eye on the top-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender’s form, and he picks him to score the crucial win at ONE Fight Night 12.

“If Superlek doesn’t try to trade with him too much, he will win this match. But on the other hand, if he decides to press forward and trade with him directly, both of them will equally have a chance to KO the other or get knocked out. It depends on who makes a mistake first. And of course, I’m rooting for my Thai compatriot. I’ll go for Superlek,” he said.

“I’m sure that we can expect a knockout in this match. So, our fans shouldn’t miss it. It’s going to be a barnburner.”

ONE Fight Night 12 kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and airs live and free with an Amazon Prime subscription.