UFC legend Demetrious Johnson to compete in bonkers ‘special rules’ bout where fighting style changes every round
FUTURE UFC Hall-of-Famer Demetrious Johnson will face Muay Thai phenom Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a modified MMA match-up.
Mighty Mouse will lock horns with Rodtang at a special ONE Championship event on December 5.
And the contest will feature a unique ruleset in order for both men to showcase their skills.
The four-rounder – which will serve as the main event of the ONE X event – will feature alternating four and three-minute rounds.
The first round will take place under Muay Thai rules, with the second then falling under the mixed martial arts ruleset.
The third, should the fight go that long, will see the contest return to Muay Thai rules, with the fourth and final stanza seeing the contest go back to MMA.
ONE Championship boss Chatri Sityodtong announced the special rules bout during an appearance on The MMA Hour earlier this week.
He told Ariel Helwani: “Basically, they both said yes right away.
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“I think they thought about it for a few hours, but both replied the same day.”
Chatri is relishing the match-up, saying: “It’s so intriguing.
“Rodtang has three minutes to try to knock out DJ, but if DJ survives, there’s a lot of pressure on him, because Rodtang then has to survive three minutes of DJ’s explosive wrestling and submissions.
“DJ is probably not gonna strike with him.”
He added: “It’s gonna be this kind of really PRIDE-style, back-to-the-old-days fight.
“We wanted to do something special, something fun that would commemorate martial arts in a way that celebrates all of MMA and its history, not just our 10-year history.
“We’ve never done this crossover stuff, it’s like the old school days of Asian MMA.
“It’s gonna be our biggest and most unique show in the history of our company.
“It’s gonna be something crazy fun for fans all over the world.”
Johnson – who is considered by many to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time – hasn’t set foot inside the cage since losing the ONE flyweight title to Adriano Moraes in April.
Rodtang, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since his unanimous decision victory over New Zealand’s Danial Williams at ONE on TNT 1 in April.
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