Rodtang Jitmuangnon, better known in the combat sports world simply as Rodtang, is widely recognized as one of the best Muay Thai fighters of all time.

The 26-year-old native of Thailand has a professional record of 271 wins, 43 losses, and 10 draws, and is currently the flyweight (135 pounds) Muay Thai champion of the ONE Championship promotion. Rodtang converted to Islam earlier this year after he married Aida Looksaikongdin, herself a professional Muay Thai fighter, who is Muslim.

On Sept. 22 in Thailand’s famous Lupinee Stadium, Rodtang faced off against Superlek Kiatmookao (better known as just Superlek), a.k.a. “The Kicking Machine,” in what was billed by ONE Championship as the most anticipated Muay Thai fight in 50 years, on a card that the company hyped as the greatest night in Muay Thai history. The bout was supposed to be for Rodtang’s ONE Championship Muay Thai title, but Superlek weighed in over the 135-pound limit and thus it was changed to a non-title fight. Superlek is the current flyweight kickboxing champion in ONE Championship, a promotion which includes MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai, grappling, and other disciplines.

Rodtang walked to the ring wearing a traditional shemagh, often worn by Muslim men in Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia.

The three-round fight was hard-hitting and bloody, and lived up to the hype. Rodtang opened up a cut on Superlek’s forehead with an elbow in the first round, from which Superlek continued to bleed throughout the match. It seemed like the always-aggressive Rodtang controlled the pace for the most part, but Superlek stood in there and landed hard shots of his own. In the second round, Superlek backed Rodtang into a corner with knee strikes and scored a knockdown. That was apparently enough in the eyes of the ringside judges to award Superlek the victory via unanimous decision following an action-packed third round.

A lot of fans on social media (myself included) disagreed with the decision — and it seems a rematch is inevitable — but Rodtang didn’t act bitter after the loss. On Instagram, he shared a photo of himself and Superlek at the hospital that same night, both competitors smiling and showing mutual respect.

Prior to Rodtang and Superlek’s main event, the undercard of the ONE Championship showcase featured a handful of fighters representing Muslim-majority countries: Amir Naseri (Iran/Malaysia) lost a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai fight to Seksan via decision; Akram Hamidi (Algeria) lost a strawweight kickboxing bout to Prajanchai via decision; Saman Ashouri (Iran) lost a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai fight to Suakim via knockout; and Adrien Mattheis (Indonesia) lost a strawweight MMA bout to Lito Adiwang via stoppage.