Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s preparations for his world title return at ONE 173 are right on schedule – according to the man overseeing his weight cut.
Peter Miller, the Bangkok-based performance nutritionist who guided the Thai superstar through his flawless camp for March’s knockout win over Takeru Segawa in Japan, told the Bangkok Post that everything is ‘going smoothly’ ahead of the November 16 showdown with Nong-O Gaiyanghadao.
‘He’s on it, he’s on it,’ Miller said. ‘We speak daily and I check up on him. I go down once or twice a week to the gym. He’s doing good – on track with everything. His training intensity has gone up now, he’s getting a couple more sessions a week in. I think it’s gonna be a smooth weight cut again in Japan.’
Rodtang linked up with Miller earlier this year after back-to-back weight misses in 2024 – the latter costing him his ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title. Their partnership paid immediate dividends, with the 27-year-old delivering a career-best performance to knock out Takeru inside one round at ONE 172 in Saitama.
Now, as he looks to reclaim the belt he held for five years, the ‘Iron Man’ appears to have rediscovered both focus and discipline – even despite recently welcoming his infant son, Zlatan, with wife Aida Looksaikongdin.
‘He seems alright,’ Miller said. ‘He’s mentioned a couple times he’s been a bit tired, which is understandable. Rodtang is one of these people who, when he’s on it, he’s on it. Sometimes he needs that person behind him checking he’s on point.
‘He knows me now and trusts me – if I say he’s good, he knows he’s good. He’s great to work with, such a likeable person. He’s really funny.’
Miller said the pair have built an easy rapport since Japan – one that extends beyond healthy eating.
‘He texted me the other day saying, ‘Can I have a KFC?’ and sent me a picture of a bargain bucket,’ Miller laughed. ‘I said, ‘No!’ I thought he’d ask for some chicken tenders or something, but a bargain bucket? No chance. But hey – you don’t ask, you don’t get.’
The two plan to reunite in Tokyo during fight week to fine-tune Rodtang’s final weight cut – and unwind with a few rounds of FIFA on PlayStation, as they did during his last camp.
‘We’ll be playing FIFA again every night in Japan,’ Miller said. ‘Everyone arrives on the Tuesday, I’ll get there a couple days earlier and make sure everything’s sorted for him – the food, the plan. He just has to follow it, which he has been doing up until now.’
With less than three weeks to go, Miller is confident Rodtang will be ready – both physically and mentally – for the biggest fight of his comeback.
‘It’s a bit of an adventure getting to his gym; it takes bloody ages for me,’ he said with a laugh. ‘But it’s worth it. I’ll keep checking up on him, make sure everything keeps ticking over. Not too long now till Japan.’