ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon announces intentions to move to MMA after next outing: “I’m ready to fight”

ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon will be making his way to MMA shortly.

‘The Iron Man’ returns to action this Friday night at ONE on Amazon Prime 1 against Savvas Michael. There, Jitmuangnon will look to pick up his seventh straight victory in Muay Thai. His most recent victory came in May, a decision win over Jacob Smith.

Earlier this year, the 25-year-old made headlines in the MMA space. The reasoning is that Jitmuangnon decided to have a mixed-rules contest with former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson at ONE X in March.

The contest was set for four rounds, with alternating Muay Thai and MMA rounds. After one round on the feet, where Jitmuangnon had success, he was submitted in round two. While he didn’t pick up the win, the fight and mixed-rules format were praised by fans.

Luckily for fans, it seems that Rodtang Jitmuangnon will be making the switch to MMA shortly. In an interview with The Underground, the 25-year-old stated that right now, he’s focused on Muay Thai.

However, that focus will shift after this Friday. After his fight this weekend, Jitmuangnon will begin focusing on MMA training to make his debut. He was quick to note, however, that he will not retire from Muay Thai. As for a possible opponent, the 25-year-old is down to fight anyone.

“This is not my last Muay Thai fight. Depending on the promoters, they might want me to fight in Muay Thai matches in the future. I may need to defend my world championship belt, but I will focus on MMA training after this. There is no ‘last time’ for me in Muay Thai in the near future.” (h/t Sports Illustrated)

Rodtang Jitmuangnon continued, “It depends on big boss Chatri [Sityodtong]. I’m ready to fight with any opponents [in MMA].”

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