ONE flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang bonds with Japanese martial artist Kota Miura: "He went to my house"

ONE flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon may be the best example of not judging a person by their cover that exists in martial arts.

When he steps inside the circle, 'The Iron Man' is a ruthless competitor who walks down opponents and taunts them whilst doing it. This exciting fighting style has turned him into a superstar in the striking arts but he couldn't be more of the opposite when he isn't competing inside the circle.

Not only does the Thai icon choose to live a relatively low-key life when he isn't competing, but he's one of the most warm and welcoming athletes that you're likely to meet.

The latest fellow competitor to feel this love was Japanese mixed martial artist Kota Miura who has been spending some time with the Muay Thai world champion.

Rodtang spoke about this in a recent interview with Nick Atkin for Sportskeeda MMA.

Unsurprisingly, he also invited the young and exciting MMA talent to come and play soccer with him in the Idol League, just like he had done with Denis Puric:

"Kota has been in Thailand for a long time, and yesterday, he went to my house. And I asked him if he wanted to come here today, and now, he's here today."

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Rodtang showed why he is a superstar last time out

ONE 167 was a pivotal moment for Rodtang Jitmuangnon where he showed exactly why he is the face of Muay Thai.

'The Iron Man' had faced lots of criticism before his kickboxing clash with Denis Puric at the start of June, and after delivering an incredible fight with 'The Bosnian Menace', an emotional Rodtang spoke out about the year he has undergone so far.

It was a fight week and moment that if anything, only meant that the fans felt more connected to the flyweight world champion than ever before.

His moment of vulnerability was a healing moment for him and the fans.