"I will always turn to my family" - Rodtang explains emotional journey as he embraced his mother at ONE 169

Rodtang Jitmuangnon shared an emotional moment with his mother heading into his ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship fight with Jacob Smith at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' this past Friday, Nov. 8.

'The Iron Man' opened up on the heartwarming scene during the post-event press conference:

"There are a lot of feelings that happen when I embrace my mother. First, I must say again that I love this profession. There have been a lot of problems since I first started in Muay Thai. I have to face many hardships, and I continue to fight. I continue to go through this hardship, and every time that I face hardship, I will always turn to my family. I love my family, and this career has given me everything."

He continued:

"From a young, poor kid who didn't have enough money to buy one ice cream, now I have everything. I'm able to buy my mother a house, my father a house, and I'm able to support all of them. The only thing that I'm focusing on is that I love my family, no matter how hard my life can get. I love them, and my mother has been looked down upon since I was very young, too, and now I make her proud."

Watch the entire post-event press conference:

Rodtang, who was stripped of the 135-pound Muay Thai crown on the scales after weighing half a pound over the flyweight limit, hardly broke a sweat in his unanimous decision showing against a very determined Smith.

Defeating the United Kingdom star inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, gave Rodtang his 16th win in ONE Championship.

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Rodtang owns up to ONE 169 mishap

Rodtang addressed the criticism he received for missing weight ahead of his world title showdown with Jacob Smith at ONE 169. He said during the post-event press conference:

"Yes, I must say as well that I'm not mad at any of the media and all the people who say things about me, and I must admit that I made mistakes."

Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch ONE 169 on demand.