“It’s coming soon” - Rodtang aims for kickboxing world title followed by transition to MMA

Rodtang Jitmuangnon has looked unbeatable while competing in Muay Thai inside the circle.

The reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion has yet to taste defeat in striking competitions and only seems to be getting better. At ONE on Prime Video 4, he defended his world championship for the second time this year against the strawweight champion Joseph Lasiri.

Although Lasiri did come into the fight as a big underdog, Rodtang proved people’s predictions to be true by completely shutting out his opponent and dropping him twice. A champion in his own right, Lasiri was in an uphill battle from the very start and seemingly had nothing to offer ‘The Iron Man’ that would stop him from bullying his opponent.

In his post-fight interview, the dominant Thai star spoke about competing under different rulesets with the intention of becoming a world champion in several sports:

“What I'm aiming for right now is that I'm going to get the world title for kickboxing as a second sport world champion. So after that, I'm going to go all the way in MMA and then challenge whoever the champion is at that time. It's coming soon as a future fight for sure.”

Watch the full interview below:

Given how dominant he has been in his division, it was only a matter of time before Rodtang looked to compete elsewhere to keep testing his skills against the world’s best. He previously fought the current flyweight MMA Champion Demetrious Johnson in a mixed-rules fight at ONE: X, losing the contest via rear-naked choke in the second round.

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“I didn't like Muay Thai because I was scared” - Rodtang chose soccer over fighting when he was young

Despite his total dominance in Muay Thai, Rodtang Jitmaungnon wasn’t always set on this current path. ‘The Iron Man’ has been able to transcend the sport thanks to his skill and entertaining style, making his name synonymous with the art of eight limbs.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Rodtang spoke about how he was more interested in playing football when he was young:

"Actually, my love for soccer happened even before I even started Muay Thai. When I was young, I didn't like Muay Thai because I was scared. I didn’t like to fight. I preferred soccer. I started playing soccer when I was a kid."

The switch to Muay Thai occurred for the same reason as many others. It was an economic need. He continued:

"But I was paid very little for playing soccer, compared to Muay Thai. So, I decided to compete in Muay Thai to earn more money to support my family. At that time, I would earn 300 baht per fight. When I moved to Bangkok to pursue Muay Thai as a career, I stopped playing soccer. I just came back to play it again recently."

With his dominant run in Muay Thai, Rodtang is now looking to become a double sport world champion. Whilst he has recently rediscovered his love for football, ‘The Iron Man’ seemed destined to compete in combat sports.