"Without Muay Thai, I wouldn’t be here" - Rodtang Jitmuangnon on being a poor boy to now buying his parents a home

ONE Championship title-holder Rodtang Jitmuangnon recently thanked his parents for much of his success. The Muay Thai fighter has had over 300 fights in the sport and has collected many championship titles.

He recently shared a post on his personal Facebook page, in Thai. It says, as per translation by SCMP MMA:

“From poor boy, until now, I can buy a house for my parents, buy a house for myself, and have money to take care of my family. I would definitely thank Muay Thai. Without Muay Thai, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Rodtang had also thanked his parents publicly for all that they did to help him and taught him the value of working hard. In an interview with ONE Championship, he explained:

“My parents did whatever they could to provide for us children. They would leave in the early hours of the morning, and come home late at night. Because they didn’t have stable employment, they would pick up work wherever they could. My dad often worked construction, or tapping rubber trees. My mother would wash dishes at funerals, or go out fishing. They would work all day, just to feed us for that night.”

Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon has had massive success in the sport and much of this he attributes to his parents.

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Who's next for Rodtang Jitmuangnon?

It should be a very busy 2022 for the Muay Thai star. Currently, Rodtang Jitmuangnon is competing in the ONE Championship Flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix. In the quarter-final round, he successfully defeated English striker Jacob Smith.

In the next round, he will meet Savvas Michael. If Jitmuangnon defeats Michael, he will then later face the winner of Walter Goncalves and Superlek Kiatmuu9 in the finals. The two Thai-born fighters are the favorites to win the tournament.

In an interview with ONE, Rodtang discussed how talented Superlek is. He said:

“Superlek has solid Muay Thai basics. He specializes in using his shins. But I don’t know if ONE’s style is compatible with Superlek’s style or not. So it’s his job to adjust his style to meet ONE’s style as well. I don’t know if we can say he’s a favorite in the match because foreign fighters are so hungry to win – all of them want is to be number one. I, myself, dare not say that I am a favorite either."

The Muay Thai Grand Prix will continue throughout 2022.