"It was destiny" - Takeru ecstatic for finally getting the chance to fight Rodtang at ONE 172 in March

Japanese kickboxing megastar Takeru Segawa and former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon's kickboxing megafight is scheduled for the main event of ONE 172 on March 23, 2025, inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

'The Natural Born Crusher' appeared during the ONE 172 press conference and had this to say about his upcoming matchup with the Thai superstar:

"I'm very happy to finally fight Rodtang. He had injuries and our fight was postponed, but this match happening now means it was destiny."

As Takeru referenced, he and 'The Iron Man' were supposed to trade leather in the headlining bout of ONE 165 this past January.

Weeks away from the promotion's fourth event in the 'Land of the Rising Sun', Rodtang unfortunately pulled out due to injury. ONE flyweight kickboxing and bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 stepped in to face the hometown hero with the 135-pound kickboxing crown on the line.

With an opportunity to win his first ONE world championship in his promotional debut, the Team Vasileus product put on an awesome display of grit and tenacity amidst Superlek's unrelenting storm of offense.

However, 'The Kicking Machine' lived up to his moniker by chopping Takeru's lead leg with a flurry of kicks throughout their five-round war. It left the Japanese sensation's left thigh terribly bruised and eventually took home the win via unanimous decision.

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Danial Williams pitches trilogy encounter between Rodtang and Takeru

Three-sport ONE athlete Danial Williams hopes Rodtang and Takeru's upcoming showdown will not be a one-off battle.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, 'Mini T' put forth his idea of the striking wizards competing under Muay Thai and MMA rules after their kickboxing clash:

"Yeah, yeah. That's even better. I'd love to see [MMA] as the third after they both have their fights in their respected sports."