ONE Championship: Rodtang ordained as Buddhist monk, shaves head and joins monastery
- Flyweight Muay Thai champ Rodtang thanks fans after taking ‘another step in my life’ following latest ONE win
- ‘The Iron Man’ is also reportedly set to get married next month, before chasing his goal of winning kickboxing title
“The Iron Man” is now “The Iron Monk”.
Fresh from another win in the ONE Championship cage on home soil this month, Thai striking sensation Rodtang Jitmuangnon has been ordained as a Buddhist monk.
The 25-year-old has joined a monastery for two weeks, after shaving his head in a traditional ceremony.
He is also reportedly set to get married next month, according to online outlet Beyond Kickboxing.
“Another step of my life. Thank you everyone,” Rodtang wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Rodtang also posted several photos of his head being shaved – as well as a video of him wincing as he is splashed with iced water.
ONE’s flyweight Muay Thai champion recorded a unanimous decision win over China’s Jiduo Yibu at ONE Fight Night 6 on January 14 in Bangkok, with around 60 friends and family members in the crowd at the Impact Arena.
ONE: Sinsamut joins openweight Muay Thai grand prix
In an interview with the Post after his win, Rodtang said he next hopes to challenge new ONE flyweight kickboxing champion Superlek Kiatmoo9. “The Kicking Machine” won the vacant title with a decision win over Spain’s Daniel Puertas on the same card.
“Absolutely my goal is to claim the kickboxing belt, so once I achieve that, I will move to MMA,” he said.
“Any time for the title fight is OK, it depends on Chatri [Sityodtong, ONE chairman and CEO].”
For his part, Chatri – who also congratulated Rodtang on his ordainment – suggested that particular dream match-up might have to wait, however.
“Yeah, I think it definitely makes sense,” Chatri told the Post. “But of course right now we are trying to figure out who are the 16 athletes for the openweight grand prix.
“Of course we want Rodtang and Superlek to fight, whether it’s for the Muay Thai title or the kickboxing title. But we also have to consider the grand prix.
“Are one or both of those guys going to be in it? I don’t know yet. We have just got to figure out that in the next few weeks, so we can make an announcement by March and kick things off.”
