Rodtang Jitmuangnon to become a monk after ONE Fight Night 6

'The Iron Man' will soon become 'The Iron Monk' as Rodtang Jitmuangnon will join the tradition in Thailand for young men to become Buddhist monks.

He will shave off his hair and begin a period of living in a temple. The 25-year-old athlete will trade in his daily jogging for daily meditation.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Rodtang said:

"I’m turning 25 right now. I think it is the right time to do this. And my parents want me to become a monk, too. Otherwise, I may get busy later and I may miss the chance again, so it is now or never for me. I plan to get ordained after my fight and be at the temple for 15 days."

Most boys in Thailand will do this in their lifetime. That includes Muay Thai and kickboxing legend Buakaw Banchamek. Last year, ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK.Saenchai also served the same tradition.

But before Rodtang can wear the sacred orange robes, he must make it through ONE Fight Night 6 on Prime Video on January 13. The Muay Thai phenom has been booked for a kickboxing battle against China's Jiduo Yibu.

The fight card will be live and free to watch for North American fans with a Prime Video subscription.

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Rodtang Jitmuangnon's kickboxing ambitions

The Thai striking superstar has collected hundreds of victories in Muay Thai and defended his ONE flyweight Muay Thai throne in multiple bouts. This year, though, 'The Iron Man' will turn his attention to earning ONE gold in kickboxing.

Speaking to ONE in an interview, the 25-year-old fighter explained his plans. He said:

"I want to fight for the kickboxing title first. I’m the Muay Thai world champion, so I can feel at ease now, and I want to move forward and win the kickboxing title quickly."

While he's targeting a kickboxing world title this year, in 2024, it sounds like MMA is his next step. He continued:

"Then I’ll focus on MMA because I want to try something new. If you focus on many things at the same time, It will make you feel confused and you will lose focus on any of these because you need to divide the time to practice each discipline."