Rodtang admits renewed sense of focus led to his statement-making knockout of Takeru: “This is a new world for Rodtang”

Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon essayed a spectacular first-round knockout victory over his Japanese counterpart Takeru Segawa in their marquee showdown this past Sunday, attributing it to a renewed sense of focus.

'The Iron Man' made short work of the 'The Natural Born Krusher' in their long-awaited flyweight kickboxing clash, which headlined ONE 172 on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Rodtang put pressure on Takeru at the onset, which culminated with a solid left hook that sent the hometown bet to the canvas and rendered him unable to continue.

Speaking during the post-event press conference for ONE 172, the Jitmuangnon Gym standout shared that the KO win was a result of the renewed commitment he had to training, including addressing conditioning issues that hampered him in his previous matches.

He said:

"I remind myself every day during training on how successful I was and why I became famous in the first place, and now I'm really dedicated. I have no break. I train every day, and I want to say thank you to Chatri for recommending Peter [Miller], his nutritionist, who's been helping him very much with his condition. It feels like this is a new world for Rodtang right now."

Watch the interview below:

At ONE 172, Rodtang broke a string of weight misses, including back in November, which cost him the ONE flyweight Muay Thai belt, and showed up with far better form.

The replay of ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang is available at watch.onefc.com.

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Rodtang came and delivered at ONE 172

Rodtang Jitmuangnon came and delivered at ONE 172, in line with his goal since he agreed to take on Takeru Segawa in the long-awaited kickboxing duel in Japan.

He spoke about his mission of being remembered and seen in an interview with ONE Championship in the lead-up to his marquee clash with Takeru, saying:

"Winning over a Japanese superstar, Takeru, is going to be tough for me. But I’ll do my best to bring back the victory to my home country, and I’d like our fight to be remembered and seen."

The explosive finish that Rodtang delivered capped an eventful night at ONE 172, which marked the return of ONE Championship to Japan for the second straight year.