“We know each other” – Rodtang says his friendship with fellow ONE champ Mikey Musumeci revolves around mutual respect

Reigning and undisputed ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon of Thailand says his close friendship with ONE flyweight submission grappling king 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci was borne out of mutual respect between martial artists.

Rodtang and Musumeci are two of the best in their respective disciplines. 'The Iron Man' is arguably the most popular striker in the world today with millions of fans around the world, while 'Darth Rigatoni' is equally beloved in the BJJ world.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Rodtang couldn't help but gush about his new 'bestie'.

'The Iron Man' stated:

"Of course, Mikey and I respect each other. It doesn’t have to be fancy words. Just looking into each other’s eyes, we know each other."

Rodtang and Musumeci have been seen often spending time with each other in Thailand, whether it's riding bikes, fishing out in the ocean, or singing karaoke. It's an unlikely friendship between a Thai superstar and an Italian-American who live thousands of miles apart.

Fans will also get the rare opportunity to see both men in action early next month when Rodtang and Musumeci head to Bangkok to face tough opponents.

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Rodtang Jitmuangnon wants to upgrade his grappling skills by learning from Mikey Musumeci: "I’ll build a gym and bring Mikey to teach me"

ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon says he is open to training MMA again after his mixed rules fight with Demetrious Johnson at ONE X in 2022.

But he wants flyweight submission grappling king Mikey Musumeci to be the one to help him with his grappling skills.

'The Iron Man' told ONE Championship:

"After my fight with DJ, I didn’t practice any more MMA. I just focused on Muay Thai and kickboxing. But if there’s an opportunity, I’ll wait for Mikey to come. I’ll build a gym and bring Mikey to teach me."