Rodtang Jitmuangnon (Thai: รถถัง จิตรเมืองนนท์) is one of the most decorated Muay Thai fighters of this generation. Born in Phatthalung province in Southern Thailand, Rodtang started competing at 8-years-old. At 14, he moved to Bangkok to join Jitmuangnon Gym.
Throughout his career, Rodtang Jitmuangnon has racked up more than 300 professional fights. Most notably however, he has become renowned for his aggressive fighting style on ONE Championship.
Following on from the inception of ONE Super Series in 2018, Rodtang made his first appearance under the ONE Championshi brand in September of that year. He would go on to defeat Sergio Wielzen in a Flyweight Muay Thai bout at ONE: Conquest of Heroes on September 22.
Over the following months, Rodtang would dismiss his next three opponents with relative ease. He quickly became known as a fan-favourite in ONE Championship. Victories against Fahdi Khaled, Hakim Hamech and Sok Thy solidifed his spot as one of the title contenders in the Flyweight Muay Thai division.
Rodtang vs Jonathan Haggerty
Whilst Rodtang had gone 4-0 in ONE Super Series, British superstar Jonathan Haggerty had been carving his own path. In May 2019, Haggerty made history by defeating former Flyweight champion, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao. He became the first Brit to ever win a ONE Championship world title.
The reign lasted just one fight though, as Rodtang Jitmuangnon defeated Haggerty via unanimous decision at ONE: Dawn of Heroes in August 2019.
Rodtang vs Jonathan Haggerty II
After a successful defence against Walter Goncalves, Rodtang would meet Haggerty for a second time. The pair clashed at ONE: A New Tomorrow in January 2020, this time Rodtang earning a stoppage win with brutal body shots.
Kickboxing Rules
After another successful title defence, this time against Petchdam PetchyindeeAcademy, Rodtang switched to Kickboxing rules. He faced ONE Championship newcomer, Tagir Khalilov in a Flyweight Kickboxing bout at ONE: Fists of Fury in February 2021. He won the three-round bout via split decision.
At the end of the broadcast, it was revealed ONE Championship would be making it’s first appearance on USA TV. “ONE on TNT 1” was the first of four events airing on American primetime TV, the first event scheduled for April 7.
British Muay Thai star, Jacob Smith, was originally scheduled to face Rodtang Jitmuangnon on the ONE on TNT 1 card. However, due to travel restrictions during the COVID pandemic, Smith was unable to compete and Rodtang would instead face Daniel ‘Mini T’ Williams. Rodtang was successful in the non-title bout and increased his record in ONE Super Series to 10-0.
Rodtang vs Demetrious Johnson — Mixed Rules Bout
Speaking with Ariel Helwani, ONE Championship boss, Chatri Sityodtong, revealed a historical moment in ONE Championship history. He announced Rodtang Jitmuangnon would face former UFC champion, Demetrious Johnson, in a mixed rules bout at ONE: X in March 2022.
The mixed rules consisted of Muay Thai and MMA rules. The first round would be Muay Thai rules, the second would be MMA rules, and so on.
Naturally, Muay Thai fans around the world were admitting if Rodtang could not finish DJ in the first round, he may get beaten under MMA rules in the second. That’s exactly what happened. The opening round saw Rodtang chasing Might Mouse around the cage, but the former UFC champion was able to weather the storm. As the pair came out for the second round, Rodtang was now on the backfoot.
It was only a matter of time before DJ’s wrestling and submission skills came to fruition. After taking his back, he sunk in a rear-naked choke and put Rodtang to sleep.
ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix
An eight-man Flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix was announced to kick-off at ONE 157 in April 2022. Unlike other Grand Prix tournaments, the champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon was also part of the tournament brackets.
Rodtang would face Jacob Smith in the opening round, with the Flyweight title not up for grabs. He defeated the Brit in what was one of his most calculated performances to date, demonstrating how serious he took the challenge.
He was then scheduled to face Savvas Michael in the semi-finals. However, he was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to not providing a hydration test sample before weigh-ins. He was later replaced by Panpayak Jitmuangnon.
Back to Kickboxing rules
After a fourth successful defence of his Flyweight Muay Thai title against Joseph Lasiri in November 2022, Rodtang moved back to Kickboxing rules again. Original scheduled to face Daniel Puertas, he instead fought Jibuo Yibu at ONE on Prime Video 6 on January 14. He missed weight by 1.5lbs and forfeited 20% of his purse to his opponent, but he still won the bout via unanimous decision.
The victory earned Rodtang a shot at becoming a two-sport world champion. ONE Championship later revealed the match-up everyone had been waiting for — Rodtang Jimuangnon vs Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Muay Thai fans were left underwhelmed that the bout was scheduled to take place under Kickboxing rules. However, an injury saw Rodtang withdraw from the bout and Daniel Williams stepped in to take his place.