3 of Rodtang Jitmuangnon's best weapons

ONE Championship’s flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon has established himself as one of the greatest combat sports athletes alive today. With over 260 career wins and an unblemished record of 10-0 in the circle, ‘The Iron Man’ is a living legend at just 24 years old.

Currently competing in the promotion’s ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix, Rodtang Jitmuangnon looks to cement his legacy as the greatest Muay Thai athlete. Following a masterful performance against Jacob Smith in the quarter-final round at ONE 157, ‘The Iron Man’ will return to the circle at ONE 161 when the promotion makes its highly anticipated debut on Amazon Prime Video.

Rodtang will face ‘The Baby Face Killer’ Savvas Michael in the tournament’s semi-final round. Before we look ahead to the second-round matchup, we take a look at three of Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s best weapons that have made him a dominant force in the world of Muay Thai.

#3. Rodtang Jitmuangnon possesses immense speed

One of Rodtang’s best weapons is his speed. With quick hands and lightning-fast kicks, ‘The Iron Man’ can land a multitude of strikes before his opponents even realize what has happened. Rodtang’s intense cardio training has not only made the Thai world champion fast out of the gate but has made him incredibly quick through the entire duration of any bout. On the occasions he goes the full 15-minute distance, Rodtang’s speed never wanes, even in the most intense battles.

An excellent example of this is his ONE 157 bout with Jacob Smith. Considered to be one of Rodtang’s more methodical performances, Rodtang dominated the ONE newcomer for nine minutes with lighting fast precision strikes and elbows that left Smith a bloody mess at the final bell. Smith was no match for the quickness of ‘The Iron Man’ in both offense and defense.

Watch the fight below:

#2. Rodtang’s relentless aggression

Rodtang Jitmuangnon brings relentless aggression every time he steps into the circle, which is just one of the things that makes him a fan favorite. From the opening bell, ‘The Iron Man’ sticks to his opponents like glue, bringing constant pressure. Often flustering his opponents, Rodtang is able to dictate the pace of every contest he enters and, as a result, sets up his own offense for success.

A great example of this is the first round of his mixed-rules contest with all-time flyweight great Demetrious Johnson. While Rodtang may have succumbed to a rear naked choke in the second round of their critically acclaimed matchup at ONE X, the first round saw ‘The Iron Man’ bring constant pressure to ‘Mighty Mouse’ and put the former world champion in danger.

It was just another example of how Rodtang’s aggressive style can make even the most proficient combat sports athletes back away and reassess their strategy.

Watch the iconic fight below:

#1. Rodtang’s legendary toughness

Rodtang Jitmuangnon may be one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters alive today, but he is not invincible. Despite remaining undefeated in the circle, ‘The Iron Man’ has been tested on occasion, but his legendary toughness always stands up to the toughest ONE competitors. He always lives up to his cage name and displays an iron chin that is one of the best in the game.

A prime example of Rodtang’s toughness is his ONE on TNT 1 bout against former WMC Muay Thai world champion Danial Williams. Through the nine-minute war, ‘Mini T’ brought it to the reigning ONE world champion. Landing clean and never backing down, Williams put everything he had into the bout. Unfortunately for Williams, Rodtang Jitmuangnon is one of the toughest competitors under the ONE banner and arguably the world.

Rodtang took the best Williams had and continued to move forward, trading shots with ‘Mini’ T every step of the way. In the end, the Thai fighter earned a unanimous decision victory as his cardio outlasted that of his Australian challenger. ‘The Iron Man’ showed he can take punishment just as much as he can dish it out, earning him another jaw-dropping victory in the circle.

See every strike Danial Williams landed on Rodtang below: