“An amazing superstar with a truly strong spirit” - Rodtang proud to share the ring with a true warrior like Takeru

Rodtang Jitmuangnon labeled Takeru Segawa as "the strongest fighter."

On March 23, 2025, ONE Championship will travel to Saitama, Japan, for a must-see event inside the Saitama Super Arena. In the main event, a flyweight kickboxing bout is scheduled between former flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang and Japanese superstar Takeru Segawa.

Rodtang and Takeru have established a non-personal rivalry due to their competitive natures. During the ONE 172 press conference, 'The Iron Man' had this to say about his upcoming opponent from Japan:

"I believe Takeru is the strongest fighter. He's an amazing superstar with a truly strong spirit. That's what I'm expected to defeat, and that's what I want to show."

Only one other fight has been confirmed for ONE 172. In the co-main event, Adriano Moraes and Yuya Wakamatsu will battle for the vacant flyweight MMA world title, which Demetrious Johnson vacated when he retired earlier this year.

The ONE 172 fight card is expected to be stacked, but nothing will be more important than the legendary matchup between Rodtang and Takeru. Follow this link for exclusive first-access tickets to the March 2025 event.

---

The history between Rodtang and Takeru

On January 28, Takeru Segawa was scheduled to make his highly-anticipated ONE Championship debut against Rodtang. Unfortunately, 'The Iron Man' suffered an injury, forcing him to pull out of the main event matchup.

Rodtang was replaced by Superlek, who put his flyweight kickboxing world title on the line against Takeru. The world-class strikers battled for five rounds, with Superlek retaining his strap by unanimous decision.

Since then, Takeru has fought once more, defeating Thant Zin by first-round knockout. Meanwhile, Rodtang defeated Denis Puric in kickboxing before returning to Muay Thai for a unanimous decision win against Jacob Smith.

Rodtang was forced to vacate his flyweight Muay Thai world title due to missing weight for his fight against Smith. He plans to regain his throne after focusing on the upcoming super-fight against Takeru.

Rodtang and Takeru went their separate ways in 2024 but never lost sight of fighting each other. On March 23, 2025, the legendary strikers look to add another world-class name to their historic resumes.