ONE Championship: Bibiano Fernandes expects Demetrious Johnson to finish Rodtang – if he ‘survives’ first round
- Bantamweight champion backs his teammate to end matters quickly against Muay Thai superstar in second round of special rules fight
- ‘He will move a little bit, try and go back and forth, wait for the MMA to come, and then go get it. Easy finish,’ Fernandes says
ONE Championship has shaken things up for its 10th anniversary card in December with a “special rules” fight between MMA legend Demetrious Johnson and Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
And Johnson’s AMC Pankration teammate Bibiano Fernandes is backing the former UFC star to end matters quickly in the second round in Singapore – if he can survive Rodtang’s brutal striking for the first three minutes.
The four-round bout will alternate been Muay Thai and MMA rules, with ONE flyweight grand prix champ Johnson ceding the early advantage.
“What I think is, if DJ survives the first round, then 100 per cent he’s gonna finish Rodtang in the second round,” Fernandes told the Post.
Johnson had a record 11 consecutive flyweight title defences in the UFC before joining ONE in late 2018, but suffered the first knockout defeat of his career against divisional champ Adriano Moraes in April.