"I was jealous of my friends" - Thai megastar Rodtang recalls the heartbreaking childhood he had to endure

Rodtang Jitmuangnon enjoys the fruits of his labour, and is one of the most popular personalities in combat sports, as well asthe reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion.

His childhood, however, was the complete opposite of what he had, and ONE Championship recently shared the hardships that he experienced back then through an Instagram post of his quotes.

Part of the quote read:

"I didn't play much as a child. We had no toys or money to buy treats. I was jealous of my friends. I wanted the same things they had."

'The Iron Man' revealed that he was jealous of his friends who had the luxury of buying toys and other things because he was too busy looking for ways to help his parents earn a living.

With the tough situation they had, he knew he needed to do something, and that's when the Thai star decided to pick up Muay Thai and started competing in various tournaments and competitions to earn money.

Fast forward to today, Rodtang is now one of the biggest stars in Muay Thai and holds a record of 15 wins and 2 losses under the world's largest martial arts organization.

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Rodtang says his focus is on Jacob Smith fight, congratulates Superlek for his latest triumph

The Jitmuangnon Gym-affiliated athlete is now slated to face a familiar foe in Jacob Smith for their rematch on Nov. 8 for the flyweight Muay Thai crown in the co-main event of ONE 169, which will take place inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

In his most recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, the 27-year-old talked about how focused he is against the British challenger and congratulated fellow Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo for his two-sport and two-division world title achievement, as he stated:

"I'd like to focus on one fight at a time. I'd like to focus on this fight first, then I can slowly plan the next step. However, I'd like to express my support to Superlek. He's a two-sport world champion now, in two divisions. I'd like to send him big congratulations."

The stacked ONE 169 card airs live from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 8 and North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can stream all the action live for free.