"You are a hero" - John Wayne Parr is all praise for Rodtang after Muay Thai star vows not to give up on MMA following ONE X loss

John Wayne Parr gave props to another prolific striker at ONE X, ONE Championship’s landmark 10-year anniversary show.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon fell to mixed martial arts icon Demetrious Johnson in their special-rules superfight in the Singapore Indoor Stadium. However, Parr was all praise for the Thai superstar following a riveting affair.

Rodtang expressed his sadness in a recent Instagram post, but Parr was there to console him and wished the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion well for the future.

John Wayne Parr wrote:

“You are a hero krup. I enjoy watching your fights being always entertaining. I look forward to seeing you do more MMA in the future."

Johnson scored a second-round submission victory over Rodtang via rear-naked choke. However, just looking at the result is a disservice to ‘The Iron Man’s performance against the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix winner.

Rodtang was able to dictate the flow of the match in the first round, which was fought under Muay Thai rules. He had Johnson on the defensive for much of the opening frame.

Johnson, however, managed to survive the first round and dragged Rodtang into the deep end come the second, which was fought under MMA rules. He slapped on a rear-naked choke to take the win at 2:13 into the round.

In an Instagram post, Rodtang thanked ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong and Demetrious Johnson for the opportunity to fight at ONE X. Rodtang also announced that he will continue working on his MMA game.

"Thank you for all of the support that you guys gave me for this fight. It means so much to me. Thank you Mr.ChatrI, DJ, and Fairtex .Thank you Yokkao for the support and definitely thank you to all of the fans for supporting me. I hope I will fight again and I will not give up on MMA. I feel so sad for this fight but I will practice and come back to fight even stronger."

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John Wayne Parr exits active competition in tear-filled goodbye

John Wayne Parr retired from combat sports after an illustrious career that spanned 25 years and included more than 10 world titles.

The legendary Australian kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter fell to Filipino veteran Eduard Folayang via unanimous decision at ONE X. Despite their combined age of 82 years, the two warriors delivered an instant classic as they poured it all in the final minute of the three-round battle.

It was after the fight that retirement finally sunk for Parr, who gave a tearful interview to ONE Championship commentator and friend Michael Schiavello.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t get the win, I love you guys."