'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAM1uBX//xAAjEAACAQIEBwAAAAAAAAAAAAACAwQBBQAGBxIRITNRUmJx/9oACAEBAAE/AMt220Fmm3mkJTUwYq3towFdY+Yj7j98cM0nVKYT47pYIbXesWGG6g178Mf/xAAYEQACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIRQf/aAAgBAgEBPwCVrT//xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIx/9oACAEDAQE/AJSrT//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Rodtang hopes a win over Takeru Segawa will put him back in the good graces of fight fans once again.
While 'The Iron Man' continues to be one of the most beloved fighters in all of Muay Thai, Rodtang came under fire after he missed weight for a scheduled title defense against Jacob Smith at ONE 169 in November.
As a result, he was stripped of the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship and received harsh criticism from fight fans.
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Speaking with the promotion ahead of his return to the Circle at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on Sunday, March 23, 'The Iron Man' hopes that a big win over the former three-division K-1 titleholder will restore the fans' faith in him and allow him an opportunity reclaim the crown he lost on the scale.
"The victory can give me many things," Rodtang said. "It can give me the encouragement to go take back the [Muay Thai] belt again. It can also convince the fans to love me 100 percent again and have the confidence and trust in me again."
Takeru and Rodtang both go into ONE 172 riding a wave of momentum
Rodtang goes into ONE 172 inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena riding back-to-back wins over Denis Puric and Jacob Smith.
Overall, 'The Iron Man' is 16-1 in kickboxing and Muay Thai competition combined under the ONE banner, his only loss coming against reigning two-sport king Superlek.
Meanwhile, Takeru is coming off a most impressive victory against Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81 in September.
Though he faced some early adversity, 'The Natural Born Crusher' handed Thant a devastating loss via a front kick that followed the Myanmar star in the second round.
Will Rodtang be too much for the former K-1 superstar to handle, or will Takeru score the biggest win of his combat sports career in front of a hometown crowd?
ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.
