“I want to show them my victory” - Takeru thrilled to headline ONE 172 vs. Rodtang in front of his fans in Japan

Japanese kickboxing legend Takeru Segawa is thrilled to have his long-planned battle with Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon finally set, and in his hometown of Japan at that.

'The Natural Born Crusher' and 'The Iron Man' are featured in the headlining contest at ONE 172 on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama. The two world-class fighters will compete under kickboxing rules.

During the press conference for the event, Takeru shared his thoughts on realizing his long-sought goal of competing against Rodtang, and in Japan after some time, saying:

"I'm very happy to fight in Japan. After leaving K-1, often fought overseas. I'm glad I can show the culimation of my active career in front of Japanese fans. I want to show them my victory."

Takeru made known of his wish to battle Rodtang when he joined ONE Championship from K-1 last year. They were initially penciled in to lock horns back in January but it did not push through as the Thai superstar had to deal with injury.

Of late, hype surrounding the all-legend clash further built up, with both fighters expressing willingness and determination to finally make it happen. They even had heated staredowns after their respective fights.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will be aired live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Takeru cannot wait to battle Rodtang

Takeru Segawa is counting the days that he and Rodtang take center stage and battle it out. He even took to social media to share his excitement.

In an Instagram post back in November, the 33-year-old Japanese legend made his thoughts known about taking on the 27-year-old Jitmuangnon Gym standout. He shared a photo of their latest intense staredown and captioned it with:

"I can't wait to fight 🔥 @rodtang_jimungnon"

This week, Takeru's wish was granted as he and Rodtang will finally battle it out at ONE 172 on March 23 in Japan.

Heading into the contest, the Yonago City native won his first match in ONE Championship, knocking out Thant Zin of Myanmar in the second round of their flyweight kickboxing match in September. It was a bounce-back after he lost to Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9 by decision in his promotional debut last January.

Rodtang, meanwhile, also won in his last match, defeating Englishman Jacob Smith by decision in their clash for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title that he lost in the lead-up for missing weight.

Despite the victory, he was ineligible to win the gold back as part of his penalty.