"All about respect in the Circle" - Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon exemplifies honor

Rodtang Jitmuangnon, the Muay Thai world champion, always strives to exemplify honor and respect in combat sports. Honor and respect are pillars of martial arts, and the Muay Thai superstar symbolizes these ideals.

His last fight was in the flyweight Muay Thai Grand Pri'x's opening round in which he faced British striker Jacob Smith. Rodtang did very well in this fight, winning a dominant victory. Once the bout ended, Rodtang bowed and hugged his bloodied opponent.

On Twitter, ONE Championship shared the video:

"Rodtang Jitmuangnon's all about respect in the Circle."

Additionally, Rodtang has shared similar ideas on Instagram. Earlier this year, she shared:

"In addition to the brutal battle We must honor our opponents as teachers we respect."

With over 250 victories in Muay Thai, Rodtang still has quite a road ahead of him. Right now, the world champion is competing in the ONE flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix. He won the opening round against Smith and will next face Savvas Michael later this year in the Semi-Finals.

After the 2022 tournament wraps up, the Thai-born fighter says he is interested in competing in MMA full time.

---

Rodtang Jitmuangnon says he is looking at MMA transition

At ONE X, Rodtang faced MMA all-time great 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson in a mixed rules contest. The rounds would change from Muay Thai to MMA rules. Rodtang fought well in this fight until he was submitted in the second round by Johnson.

Rodtang now seems to have an itch to want to fight more in MMA. In an interview with ONE Championship, he explained:

"But my goal is to join MMA. My plan is to finish this World Grand Prix and then fully join MMA... The reason I don’t feel disappointed or sad after losing to [Demetrious Johnson] is because we already know that he is an MMA legend, while I’m still very new. My training and experience are still very young in MMA, especially in the ground game. There’s no regret or sadness because fighting with the great ones is an experience.”

The Muay Thai champion has the Grand Prix ahead of him. Should he succeed and win the tournament, fans may see him jump full-time into MMA next.