Reigning ONE World Champions Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon and Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci are building a friendship that transcends cultural barriers.

Each man will soon return to action live in U.S. Primetime on June 7 at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Prime Video.

That night, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Rodtang will battle Denis “The Bosnian Menace” Puric in a three-round flyweight kickboxing bout while the American BJJ phenom will square off with promotional newcomer Gabriel Sousa in a bantamweight submission grappling tilt.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon will take care of everything for Mikey Musumeci

Rodtang and Musumeci first connected early last year, and despite coming from vastly different backgrounds, have found common ground over martial arts.

Since then, “Darth Rigatoni” has visited Thailand, where the two have shared plenty of good times fishing, eating, and exchanging techniques from their respective martial arts.

“The Iron Man” explained, “Me (26) and Mikey (27) aren’t far apart in age. He honors us. And we honor him very much. We became friends.

“He is a nice guy, a simple person, and humble. He is ready to help everyone. You feel comfortable with him. 

“When he comes to Thailand, I take care of everything for him as a host. He came to my house, and I will take him wherever he wants to go.” 

Beyond their budding friendship, Rodtang and Musumeci have plans to help each other grow into well-rounded fighters.

“The Iron Man” and “Darth Rigatoni” are ready to teach each other

The American has teased a potential transition to MMA in the near future, and Rodtang says he’d be happy to help the top pound-for-pound grappler sharpen his striking.

By that same token, if the long-reigning flyweight Muay Thai king wants to try his hand at MMA or another mixed-rules contest similar to his 2022 clash with Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, he’ll look to Musumeci for elite grappling instruction.

Rodtang added, “If Mikey is going to fight in MMA, I told him he can come to practice Muay Thai with me. I’ll teach him myself. In the future, Mikey said he would teach me MMA in exchange.  

“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.”