Chatri Sityodtong talks potential Takeru vs. Rodtang superfight

ONE Championship recently signed one of the top kickboxers in the world in Takeru Segawa and has grand plans for him, including a possible superfight against Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

A multi-time K-1 world champion, 31-year-old Takeru further shores up ONE’s already-impressive roster of strikers and is set for some of the most interesting matchups under his new home.

Among them is a kickboxing superfight with ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang, which could take place when ONE Championship returns to Japan sometime this year.

ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong is excited for the showdown between Takeru and Rodtang, even touting it as bigger than that between Takeru and Tenshin Nasukawa in their all-Japanese collision in June 2022.

Sityodtong took time to talk about the potential Takeru-Rodtang fight during the post-event press conference for ONE’s recent historic first live on-ground show in the United States. He said:

“Full stop, the biggest, he and Tenshin. In terms of kickboxing, definitely by far the biggest since Tenshin moved on to boxing. And I think there’s a lot of interest in Japan for Takeru vs Rodtang because Rodtang beat Tenshin and Tenshin beat Takeru. They’re just kind of like, a triangle. Takeru gets his star back by beating Rodtang.”

See the presser below:

It bears noting, however, that Rodtang lost to Tenshin by way of a controversial decision when they met in June 2018. Many felt the win should have been awarded to the Jitmuangnon Gym standout, who showed solid ring control and put pressure on the Japanese star throughout the contest.

Prior to signing with ONE, Takeru was one of the top free agents in combat sports. At K-1, he made history by becoming the only fighter in the organization to win titles in three weight classes.

Meanwhile, Rodtang was part of ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, ONE Championship’s U.S. debut which took place on May 5 in Colorado. He successfully defended the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title against Mexican challenger Edgar Tabares by knockout (elbow to the jaw) in the second round.

Rodtang has made it known that apart from keeping his standing as a Muay Thai world champion, he also wants to win titles in kickboxing and mixed martial arts moving forward.