Rodtang jumps the barricade and celebrates with the Denver crowd

ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion ‘The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon of Thailand made a triumphant U.S. debut in ONE Championship last Friday night in more ways than one.

After defeating former WBC Muay Thai International world champion Edgar Tabares by second-round knockout, Rodtang was awarded a US$100,000 bonus by none other than ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong himself.

Then, ‘The Iron Man’ exited the circle to raucous cheers from the 1stBank Center crowd in Denver. He dove into the crowd to get closer to the fans, who absolutely gobbled him up.

Check that footage out in a recent Instagram post by ONE Championship here:

It’s clear Rodtang is a bonafide superstar in America, as fans cheered him on from the moment he walked out to the circle, all the way to when he disappeared backstage. The Thai warrior was constantly pulled aside to sign autographs and take selfies at every opportunity. There’s no doubt Americans love Rodtang.

The question now is what’s next for ‘The Iron Man’?

The 25-year-old Bangkok native called out newly crowned ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion ‘The General’ Jonathan Haggerty, a man he has already beaten twice. That is definitely an interesting matchup, to say the least.

But there’s also the Japanese star Takeru Segawa, who ONE Championship recently signed. Sityodtong mentioned in the post-fight presser that an event in Japan soon is likely a possibility, given the magnitude of this matchup.

Fans in the United States and Canada can watch Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s dramatic knockout of Edgar Tabares and the rest of the stacked ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III card absolutely free via replay on Amazon Prime.