"I want to beat him" - Rodtang "100 percent" ready to take Takeru down in front of Japanese fans at ONE 172

Rodtang Jitmuangnon is more than ready to tango alongside Takeru Segawa at ONE 172.

'The Iron Man' and 'The Natural Born Crusher' meet in the main event of the promotion's stacked return to Japan inside the Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, March 23. Their flyweight kickboxing joust is set for five rounds:

“When I realized I’m going to fight Takeru, I was so happy. I want to beat him. I’m definitely 100 percent ready for this fight. I’ve been working really hard for this fight," he told the media shortly after his open workout session in Thailand.

Watch the full interview here:

Both superstars head into this epic kickboxing super fight on a winning note.

Rodtang got his hand raised against battle-tested destroyers Denis Puric and Jacob Smith last year.

While there were those triumphs, it is worth noting that he missed weight for both scraps, the latter forcing him to drop his flyweight Muay Thai gold.

Takeru, on the flip side, returned to winning ways with a jaw-dropping finish of Myanmar slugger Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81 in September last year.

He suffered a defeat to now-reigning two-sport world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 in his promotional bow at ONE 165 in Tokyo, Japan.

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Rodtang’s keys to victory vs. Takeru

Rodtang has plenty of tools at his disposal to rack up an upsetting win over Takeru at ONE 172.

First, 'The Iron Man' must deploy his usual marauding style. Takeru does seem to struggle when dealing with pressure, as seen in his two fights on the global stage, after all.

Next, the former flyweight Muay Thai king must make sure he lands whenever he can. Takeru may find himself on the back foot in this duel, but the Japanese warrior knows how to score in various scenarios.

Last but not least, the Thai's mind games will come in handy so he can draw Takeru into the pocket and penalize him with his hellish punches.

ONE 172 will be available via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.