“I was scared” - Thai megastar Rodtang admits he never liked Muay Thai when he was growing up
Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon said that before settling in Muay Thai, he was hesistant to pick up the sport, preferring to play soccer instead. But once he got to see the beauty of the 'art of eight limbs' and established his footing in it, he never looked back.
ONE Championship highlighted this in a series of quote cards from the reigning ONE lightweight Muay Thai world champion ahead of his return to action at ONE 167 on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the quote cards, Rodtang shared how he got started in Muay Thai, including how early on he tried to stay away from it since he was scared of getting hurt.
Below are screenshots of what he had to say:
In Muay Thai, Rodtang was able to build a viable career, which has seen him earn global fame and, more importantly, provide for the needs of his family.
He is the longtime ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion, successfully defending his championship belt five times.
Rodtang returns to kickboxing at ONE 167
For his scheduled return to action at ONE 167 on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand, Rodtang Jitmuangnon will be making a foray in kickboxing, another discipline that he also competes in under ONE Championship.
'The Iron Man' will be taking on veteran fighter Denis Puric in a flyweight kickboxing duel, which will serve as the co-headlining match of the event happening at the Impact Arena.
It will be Rodtang's first kickboxing fight since his catchweight joust in January last year, which he won by unanimous decision over Jiduo Yibu of China.
But while his showdown with Puric will be in kickboxing, the match still has Muay Thai implications because 'The Bosnian Menace' is using it to make a case for himself to have a shot at the Muay Thai gold in possession of Rodtang.
Puric, who is currently the No. 2 contender in the flyweight Muay Thai division, has won back-to-back matches heading into ONE 167 this week.
ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut will be available live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.