Demetrious
Johnson will be branching out in his next One Championship
appearance.
The former UFC flyweight king will face muay Thai flyweight title
holder Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a special rules match on Dec. 5, One
Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong
announced during an appearance on the “MMA Hour” Wednesday.
Johnson vs. Jituangnon will consist of four, three-minute rounds,
with the ruleset alternating between muay Thai and MMA in each
frame. Four-ounce gloves will be worn for the contest.
Johnson began his promotional tenure with three consecutive
triumphs to win the One flyweight grand prix. “Mighty Mouse” came
up short in his bid for the title, when he suffered a second-round
knockout loss to Adriano
Moraes at One on TNT 1 on April 7.
Jituangnon is widely regarded as the No. 1 pound-for-pound muay
Thai fighter in the world and owns a career mark of 267-42-10 in
that realm. The 24-year-old is currently on a 10-bout winning
streak under the One banner.
The event, which is entitled One Championship “X,” will also
include a pair of title bouts, as Bibiano
Fernandes defends his bantamweight (145-pound) belt against
John
Lineker, while featherweight (155-pound) ruler Thanh Le will
lock horns with Garry
Tonon.
Fernandes has been victorious in 11 of his 12 promotional
appearances, with his only defeat coming via split decision against
Kevin
Belingon in 2018. The 41-year-old Brazilian improved to 3-1
against Belingon in his most recent appearance, winning via
rear-naked choke at One “Century” in October 2019.
Lineker is 3-0 in the Singapore-based organization after leaving
the UFC in 2019. That record includes a decision triumph over Muin
Gaurov and KO/TKO victories against Belingon and Troy
Worthen.
A veteran of Legacy Fighting Alliance and Dana White’s Contender
Series, Le is unbeaten in four One appearances. He claimed the
featherweight crown with a third-round TKO of Martin
Nguyen at One “Inside the Matrix” in October 2020.
Tonon, who won multiple championships as a grappler, has gone 6-0
since transitioning to MMA, finishing all but one of his opponents
inside the distance. Most recently, he outpointed Koyomi
Matsushima at One “Big Bang” this past December.