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Johan Ghazali voiced his respect for Takeru Segawa before claiming he could struggle against Rodtang.
Next Sunday, March 23, will feature a special event in ONE Championship. The Chatri Sityodtong-run promotion is scheduled to hold a stacked fight card, ONE 172, inside the beloved Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
ONE 172 will be headlined by a highly anticipated non-title flyweight kickboxing bout between Japanese hero Takeru Segawa and Thai megastar Rodtang.
Takeru was supposed to fight Rodtang in his ONE debut in January 2024. The latter, unfortunately, pulled out due to an injury.
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Many ONE fighters have weighed in on Takeru vs. Rodtang. During an interview with Sportskeeda, flyweight Muay Thai striker Johan Ghazali had this to say:
"Takeru is good, if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be that guy people look up to. A real technical fighter with a lot of good movement, skills, and striking. I’m a fan of how he’s built his brand, but yeah, specifically for this fight, it’s just gonna be hard for him."
ONE 172 features five world title fights, including Tawanchai vs. Masaai Noiri for the interim featherweight kickboxing strap.
The March 23 spectacle also showcases Superlek vs. Nabil Anane (bantamweight Muay Thai unification), Adriano Moraes vs. Yuya Wakamatsu (vacant flyweight MMA), Jonathan Di Bella vs. Sam-A (interim strawweight kickboxing), and Phetjeeja vs. Kana Morimoto (women's atomweight kickboxing).
Other ONE 172 matchups include John Lineker vs. Hiroki Akimoto (bantamweight kickboxing) and Eduard Folayang vs. Shinya Aoki 4 (lightweight MMA).
Check out the entire ONE 172 fight card below:
The winner of Takeru vs. Rodtang could secure rematch against Superlek
Takeru Segawa and Rodtang might not fight for a world title at ONE 172. Luckily, the upcoming super-fight does have high stakes.
Both superstars have a history with two-sport world champion Superlek.
Takeru Segawa made his ONE Championship debut against Superlek, suffering a unanimous decision kickboxing defeat.
As for Rodtang, he fought Superlek in a September 2023 Muay Thai bout, with the latter emerging victorious by unanimous decision.
With a win at ONE 172, Takeru or Rodtang could find themselves challenging Superlek for his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title.
