“I have found success again” - Rodtang pleased to wake up from his "bad dream" with stunning finish of Takeru at ONE 172

Rodtang Jitmuangnon was on the end of a lot of criticism heading into his dream kickboxing super fight against Takeru Segawa, which headlined ONE 172 this past Sunday, March 23.

'The Iron Man's' dedication to his career was the biggest of the lot. After a couple of issues on the scales in his past two fights, which also forced him to relinquish his ONE flyweight Muay Thai world championship, all eyes were on 'The Iron Man' during fight week in Saitama, Japan.

To ease his worries in what seemed like a never-ending drama with his weight, Rodtang sought the help of famed nutritionist Peter Miller to reverse his fortunes. That decision paid off quite substantially, with him making weight and passing hydration in one attempt.

It also led to one of the biggest victories of his storied career inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena.

The Muay Mat looked at his pristine best, dishing out a vintage display to see off the former three-division K-1 world champion in a mere 80 seconds.

Speaking at the ONE 172 post-event press conference, the Jitmuangnon Gym athlete shared what this win meant to him while highlighting the battles he faced with himself after a successful yet bumpy 2024:

"I cried sleeping [after losing my world title]. I was sleeping, and I cried because I felt like I lost that belt, not because I lost to my opponent, but because of myself that I couldn't make weight. And that wakes me up.

"It tells me that I have to work harder, I have to wake up in the morning and have to train hard, and I have to do anything that I can to get that belt back. I felt like this was a bad dream, but now the answer clearly shows that I have found success again."

Watch the full ONE 172 post-fight presser here:

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Rodtang at his wicked best looks like a truly unstoppable force

While it's hard to gauge just how much he has improved, given that he wrapped things up almost instantly, it's safe to say there was something different about Rodtang's energy in 'The Land of the Rising Sun' last week.

The 27-year-old didn't have much time for his usual antics. Instead, he zeroed in on Takeru from the get-go, pressing for action while looking for openings to counter.

Sure, some may look at his knockout — one that bagged him a US$50,000 performance bonus — as a slice of luck, but there's no such thing as fortune when 'The Iron Man' is absolutely dialed in to cause mayhem.

If he can continue putting on performances like that, it wouldn't take long for him to reassert his dominance atop the flyweight Muay Thai throne and possibly shoot for two-sport glory in the coming months in ONE Championship.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will be available via replay at watch.onefc.com.