ONE Championship Star Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Who Fought Demetrius Johnson, Shaves Head to Become a Monk

Muay Thai fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon has become a monk and joined a monastery. ‘The Iron Man’ is the current ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion. He has decided to follow the Thai tradition like any other young man in Thailand. Fans have shared their thoughts on the ONE Championship superstar on social media.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon is a highly decorated martial artist. He has successfully defended his flyweight championship four times. ‘The Iron Man’ had his last match at ONE Fight Night 6 on Jan 14, 2023. He had his family and friends witness his victory over Jiduo Yibu in Bangkok, Thailand. Jitmuangnon shared a few photos on Facebook from his ordainment ceremony.

‘The Iron Man’ will be serving in the Buddhist monastery for two weeks. He has also shaved his hair as a part of the ceremony. Jitmuangnon’s Facebook post was captioned: “Another step of my life. Thank you everyone.” The 25-year-old is also getting married next month according to various sources.

Fans react to Rodtang Jitmuangnon getting ordained as a monk

Many MMA, kickboxing, and Muay Thai fans have taken to social media and have reacted to Jitmuangnon’s transformation into the ‘Iron Monk.’ Let us look at some of the reactions from Facebook as well as Reddit.

• I always admire you. You are my idol..
• Rodtan jitmuangnon The Best Muay Thai Warrior 
• That’s one kick-a** monk
• Just when you thought Rodtang couldn’t look even more intimidating
• This is actually an amazing part of Thai culture I never heard of. I mean, like many things, it’s probably treated tokenistically and not really taken seriously by the vast majority of people but man, what a cool idea and rite of passage.
• It’s Thai tradition to become a monk once in your life. Some do it in their childhood, most do it in their early adulthood. Before getting married, before getting their first job, before starting to study, … After the two weeks, he’s back to normal.
• The most lowkey champ ive ever known.

READ MORE: Rodtang Jitmuangnon Makes His Next Target Super Clear: “I’m More Than Ready”

Many fans have shown their love and admiration for Jitmuangnon and praised him for his low-key and humble character. However, he is known for his wild antics inside the cage during fights. Some fans believe that ‘The iron Man’ is the best Muay Thai fighter. Some also reiterated the details regarding this Thai tradition and mentioned that it is performed by every Thai male once in their lifetime. Fans also claimed that the monk moniker has added a more intimidating-factor to ‘The Iron Man.’

Rodtang Jitmuangnon will return to fight after his service in the monastery is over. He had mentioned earlier that he wants to challenge the ONE flyweight Kickboxing Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9. Jitmuangnon has no plans of leaving the flyweight division. What are your thoughts? Drop your comments below.