"I'll wait for Mikey to come" - Rodtang says he'll start training MMA again only when 'Darth Rigatoni' is back in Thailand

There was a period of time when Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon was deeply embedded in training for MMA. 'The Iron Man' is one of the very best strikers in the world today and his exciting fighting style has helped him to transcend the sport.

At ONE X in 2022, he competed in a fight that also transcended the sport of Muay Thai with a mixed-rules fight that was the first of its kind. The ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion competed against one of the best mixed martial artists in the world in ONE flyweight MMA kingpin Demetrious Johnson.

After surviving the first round of striking, the ruleset switched over to MMA, where 'Mighty Mouse' was able to use his grappling to get the submission win.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Rodtang revealed that MMA training has gone on the backburner since then.

However, he did say that thanks to his friendship with elite grappler Mikey Musumeci, maybe he will look to 'Darth Rigatoni' to help him explore MMA once again:

"After my fight with DJ, I didn't practice any more MMA. I just focused on Muay Thai and kickboxing. But if there's an opportunity, I'll wait for Mikey to come. I'll build a gym and bring Mikey to teach me."

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Rodtang is now fully focused on kickboxing

Though his focus isn't on MMA, it isn't necessarily on Muay Thai either right now as Rodtang prepares for his next fight.

At ONE 167, he will compete in kickboxing against an opponent that has been calling his name for a long time, veteran Denis Puric.

Puric is coming to try and make a statement against 'The Iron Man' with the belief that the kickboxing ruleset suits him better.

We will find out on fight night as a potential clash with Takeru Segawa in the near future hangs over the head of the Thai superstar.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE 167 card live and for free in U.S. primetime on June 7.