ONE Championship CEO claims Rodtang would be ‘as big as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’ after signing $300,000 per fight deal

ONE Championship Chairman reveals Rodtang Jitmuangnon's slaary per fight and goes on to compare him to Messi and Ronaldo.

ONE Championship CEO claims Rodtang would be ‘as big as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’ after signing $300,000 per fight deal

Rodtang Jitmuangnon would be 'as big as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (Image Courtesy: Inside Sport.in/India Times, Pinterest)

Rodtang Jitmuangnon has benefited from his growing popularity by negotiating a new salary with ONE Championship, making him by far the highest-paid Muay Thai fighter in the world.

The chairman and CEO of ONE, Chatri Sityodtong, told in a recent interview that the flyweight Muay Thai champion will now make “10 million baht” every battle, beginning with his next contest. The 24-year-old will become the first Thai fighter to receive such a significant sum of money from the martial arts company located in Singapore. During his interview with South China Post, Chatri Sityodtong mentioned that Rodtang’s new fight purse will put him in a different league in comparison to other Muay Thai fighters. 

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“Rodtang will earn US$300,000 per fight. It’s the highest [pay] in the world for Muay Thai by a huge margin. In two or three years, Rodtang will be as big as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi,” he added. 

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According to Sityodtong, in a few upcoming years, Rodtang will gain the same level of popularity as football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While it may look a little optimistic to compete with them, Rodtang can definitely reach heights that are not reached by any other Muay Thai fighters. 

Related: WATCH: MMA superstar Rodtang eats huge right hand from wife in training

Rodtang Jitmuangnon wants to transition to MMA after becoming a ONE Championship legend

Rodtang Jitmuangnon
Rodtang Jitmuangnon

Jitmuangnon finally introduced himself to American fight fans earlier this month. He enjoyed his debut in the United States and was overwhelmed by his fans. 

On US soil, At ONE Fight Night 10, Rodtang knocked out Edgar Tabares three weeks ago. He successfully defended his ONE Flyweight Muay Thai championship for the fifth time in a row with the victory. After the victory, Rodtang in an interview mentioned that he wants to be a ONE Championship legend. 

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“Want to be the legend of ONE Championship,” says Rodtang. “I want different opponents and different weight classes to prove I am legendary. Want to try everything. I want to compete in MMA. The biggest challenge is every aspect that is not standing and striking. The techniques, defending, and attacking, I am relearning all those. That is the most difficult part of transitioning into MMA.”  he added.

After that, the fighter wants to push his limits and try MMA as it’s one of the toughest sports in the world. According to Rodtang, he’s still learning everything and it will be a hard transition to MMA.

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