How Rodtang helped his father beat cancer and bought parents a new home

Rodtang Jitmuangnon is an inspiring figure inside the Muay Thai ring. But did you know that he has an inspiring story outside the ring as well?

For the Thai superstar, fighting is not only about fighting, it is about his life and family.

The loss of his mentor

It was at the age of 8 that Rodtang started fighting. He started fighting at such a young age to earn bread for his family. Five years later, at the age of 13, Rodtang left home and joined the Jitmuangnon Gym which was more than 600 miles away from his gym.

He started training under Huan Jitmuangnon at the gym. Huan soon turned into a father figure and mentor for the young Rodtang. While all was going good, tragedy struck Rodtang’s life as Huan died of a heart attack in 2018. Rodtang decided to step up and helped Huan’s wife to keep the gym open in the years that followed.

By the time he became 21, 8 years after he left his home, Rodtang had 250 wins on his resume. He secured wins at the Omnoi Stadium and also won Max Muay Thai Titles.

The ONE Championship belt

In 2018, Rodtang made his ONE Championship debut and it took him only one year to win the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World title. Rodtang defeated Jonathan Haggerty to capture the title.

It was after this title win that Rodtang came to know that his father was diagnosed with cancer. Rodtang's father had stage 3 cancer. While preparing for his rematch against Haggerty, Rodtang stood by his father and helped him in the recovery process.

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This, however, did not stop him from performing inside the cage as well. He brought his parents to see him compete on the global stage against Haggerty and at ONE: A New Tomorrow in January 2022, Rodtang secured a third-round TKO win against Haggerty to retain the title.

Sometime later, it was also revealed that his father beat cancer and he bought his parents a new home.

Rodtang still continues to inspire people around the world and the best part is, that he is still one of the youngest champions in ONE Championship at the moment.

What do you think of the inspiring story of Rodtang? Let us know in the comments below.

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