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Rodtang backtracks on forgery claims and apologizes to Chatri Sityodtong

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Rodtang backtracks on forgery claims and apologizes to Chatri Sityodtong

Four months ago, Thailand's biggest combat sports star declared himself a free agent and accused ONE Championship of forging his signature. This week, he apologized for all of it.

The dispute began in April, when Rodtang Jitmuangnon declared his ONE contract expired and opened the door to offers from other promotions. Reports soon surfaced of a 12-month matching clause in his prior deal, setting the stage for months of conflict.

Rodtang then alleged his signature had been forged on contractual documents. He said he had taken the matter to police, though no formal complaint against ONE was ultimately filed. ONE rejected the forgery claim and filed legal action in Thailand, Japan, and Singapore, with the Thai case alone seeking damages of up to 542 million baht.

An early press conference allowed his rematch with Takeru Segawa to proceed at ONE Samurai 1. There, Rodtang suffered his first knockout loss in 13 years. A gradual path toward reconciliation followed. It was driven by discussions between Chatri Sityodtong, Jitmuangnon Gym owner Somjit Waenkaew, and other senior figures on both sides.

“ONE has always paid me more than the amounts stated in my contracts. Not a single person within ONE forged my signature,†Rodtang wrote.

“I sincerely apologise to Timo Ruge, a member of ONE's matchmaking team, for the misunderstanding that occurred.â€

Rodtang Jitmuangnon rebuilds ties with Jitmuangnon Gym

Rodtang Jitmuangnon signed a new agreement with ONE five days after appearing at The Inner Circle 22. There, he embraced Takeru Segawa in the ring. He is expected to train under Jitmuangnon Gym owner Somjit Waenkaew going forward.

His stated goal remains reclaiming the flyweight Muay Thai title now held by Asadula Imangazaliev.

“I would like to express my sincere regret and apologise to P'Chatri from the bottom of my heart for any damage or impact I may have caused ONE, especially during the past several months,†Rodtang wrote.

“The best way to prove my sincerity is to come back and win the world championship again, bringing honour and pride to Thailand and Jitmuangnon Gym.â€

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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UFC Sacramento weigh-in video: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues

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UFC Sacramento weigh-in video: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues

At the UFC Sacramento weigh-ins, all 26 fighters on Saturday's fight card step on the scale Friday in Sacramento, Calif. Watch UFC official weigh-in highlights above.

ceremonial weigh-ins above, set to kick off at 6 p.m. ET, with highlights of the morning weigh-ins available below.

In the main event, middleweight contenders Anthony Hernandez and Gregory Rodrigues face off. Both fighters can weigh no more than the 186-pound limit for their non-title fight.

Hernandez is currently tied with Caio Borralho for the No. 5 spot at middleweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings after seeing an eight-fight win streak snapped by Sean Strickland. Rodrigues sits at the edge of the rankings at No. 15.

In the co-main event, top-10 heavyweight Serghei Spivac fights Vitor Petrino. Neither fighter may weigh more than 266 pounds.

Official weigh-ins begin at 12 p.m. ET.

Ceremonial weigh-ins begin at 6 p.m. ET.

Check out the UFC Sacramento weigh-in results below.

Main Card (Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET)

Anthony Hernandez (186) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (185)

Serghei Spivac (257) vs. Vitor Petrino (246)

Reinier de Ridder (205) vs. Roman Dolidze (206)

MarQuel Mederos (156) vs. Mason Jones (156)

Carli Judice (125.5) vs. Jeisla Chaves (124.5)

Terrance Chatman (266) vs. Anthony Wint (231)

Preliminary Card (Paramount+ at 5 p.m. ET)

Jamall Emmers (143.5) vs. Lerryan Douglas (145.5)

Kennedy Nzechukwu (244) vs. Shamil Gaziev (261)

Chris Padilla (156) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (155.5)

Marcio Barbosa (145.5) vs. Ryan Kuse (144.5)

Gauge Young (155.5) vs. Stan Dorsainvil (155.5)

Wes Schultz (186) vs. Jackson McVey (185)

Shanelle Dyer (116) vs. Elise Reed (115)

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Alexander Volkanovski not thinking retirement, but would consider it if ‘things go terribly wrong’ against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333

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Alexander Volkanovski not thinking retirement, but would consider it if ‘things go terribly wrong’ against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333

Alexander Volkanovski is one of the UFC's most enduring champions, but retirement talk is inescapable as he heads into his UFC 333 main event title defense against Movsar Evloev.

“The Great†headlines the Oct. 24 event in Abu Dhabi with his featherweight championship on the line. Volkanovski will be 38 by the time he makes his next walk to the octagon, and is currently in his second reign as 145-pound champion, having successfully defended it against Diego Lopes this past February. That marked Volkanovski's sixth championship defense overall.

He has long maintained his intention to compete as long as he's physically able and enjoying fighting, but admitted in an interview with Australia's 10 News that a bad night against Evloev could accelerate his retirement plans.

“If things go terribly wrong, alright, we're done,†Volkanovski said. “If things go very well, like the last one, no damage, go through, alright, we'll keep it rolling.â€

Volkanovski won 25 of his first 26 pro fights before venturing up to lightweight to challenge Islam Makhachev. He lost a pair of fights to the now-welterweight champion, a close decision at UFC 284 and then a knockout loss at UFC 294 in a rematch that Volkanovski took on 10 days' notice as a replacement for Charles Oliveira.

Ilia Topuria then knocked Volkanovski out at UFC 298 to claim the featherweight title—Volkanovski's first-ever loss competing at 145 pounds—but after Topuria exited the division to move up to lightweight, Volkanovski became champion again by claiming a vacant belt with a win over Lopes before defeating him again in a rematch.

That resilience has kept Volkanovski near the top of the pound-for-pound rankings, and if he gets past the undefeated Evloev or at least delivers another memorable performance on Oct. 24, don't expect Volkanovski to leave the business anytime soon.

“Taking each fight as it goes, just trying to be real with it,†Volkanovski said. “But I don't have plans on retiring right now.â€

As for what keeps bringing him back, Volkanovski mentioned enjoying training, competition, and one more key factor.

“Money's always good,†Volkanovski said with a laugh.

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Carlos Prates issues warning to Michael Morales: ‘I will knock you out really fast’ after winning UFC title

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Carlos Prates issues warning to Michael Morales: ‘I will knock you out really fast’ after winning UFC title

Carlos Prates wants to be next in line against UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, and he's open to defending the title immediately after against undefeated 170-pound contender Michael Morales.

Makhachev said in the aftermath of his UFC 330 title defense over Ian Machado Garry, which went down this past weekend in Philadelphia, that maybe Prates and Morales should face off to determine the rightful contender.

The knockout artist has a different idea in mind, though. Speaking with Champions Collection, Prates was told that Morales said he was afraid to fight him.

“If the guy has two arms, two legs, one dick like me, bro, I can fight him,†Prates said. “He said I'm scared about him? I'm not scared to fight you. I'm No. 1 contender, so I wanna fight for the belt. UFC never offered the fight against you. If they offer me, of course I would knock you out really fast. First round, so don't worry. You're gonna fight and I'm gonna knock you out.â€

“But now wait, [I'll] get my belt and then we can fight. I'm never scared to fight you, bro. Don't worry.â€

Prates claimed that Morales replied to the video he sent him, saying he was “ready to fight†him. The Brazilian then issued him a final message in Spanish.

“After I get my belt, I'll knock you out,†Prates said.

Prates won three straight in the UFC with knockouts over Geoff Neal, Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena to maintain his 100 percent bonus rate in the company, while Morales won seven in a row under the UFC banner with his most recent ones being stoppages against Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.

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