Chatri Sityodtong says ONE Championship offered Takeru a chance to “face the best in the world”

ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong offered Takeru Segawa an opportunity of a lifetime to compete against the best fighters in the world.

That gesture ultimately swayed the sought-after free agent to sign a deal with the Singapore-based organization to join its stacked Muay Thai and kickboxing ranks.

Speaking to the media during the ONE Fight Night 10 Post-Event Press Conference last week, Sityodtong entertained questions about ONE’s latest signee, who happens to be one of Japan’s biggest combat sports athlete at the moment.

Here’s how Takeru and the largest martial arts organization came to terms, according to the promotion’s head honcho:

“We talked to Takeru the minute he let everyone know he was a free agent. We gave him space. We were like, ‘Hey, if you want to face the best in the world, it’s at ONE. If you want to get paid the best in the world, it’s at ONE.”

Sityodtong continued:

“He spent time looking here and there, and he wanted an easy fight so he signed a one-fight deal [before ONE]. Eventually, he came full round and signed.”

Check out the press conference in its entirety below:

Given ONE Championship’s elite roster of striking savants, there are a lot of intriguing match-ups for Takeru Segawa right off the bat.

Then again, it appears like the multi-division K-1 world champion already grabbed the attention of arguably the most notorious destroyer in the promotion, ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

A showdown between these two megastars is reportedly already in the works in ONE Championship’s return to Japan sometime this year.