Takeru struggling to contain his fire for Rodtang war at ONE 172: "I plan to let those feelings explode on fight night" 

Japanese kickboxing icon Takeru can't wait to get his hands on Rodtang Jitmuangnon. The two are set to collide at long last, more than a year after their initial clash at ONE 165 in Tokyo, Japan, fell through the window.

As grueling as it was to wait for these stars to cross paths on martial arts' grandest stage, there certainly is no grander stage for them to trade leather.

'The Natural Born Crusher' and 'The Iron Man' headline the promotion's stacked return to Japan, ONE 172, inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena - a venue that has played host to several bangers over the years.

Ahead of their five-round flyweight kickboxing joust, Takeru had this to say to reporters shortly after an open workout session:

"I'm trying to contain my excitement now. I plan to let those feelings explode on fight day."

The Japanese kickboxer is out to make it back-to-back wins under the ONE spotlight in Saitama, a little over five months after he got his hand raised with a vicious knockout of Thant Zin.

Can he keep the momentum going, or will 'The Iron Man' have his number on March 23?

ONE 172 will be available to fight fans via pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com. Don't miss your chance to catch this epic spectacle.

---

Takeru honored to lead the charge for Japanese fighters at ONE 172

In the same interview, Takeru bared his excitement to be one of several Japanese fighters set to compete at ONE 172. 'The Natural Born Crusher' said:

"I want to showcase Japan's strength globally with all Japanese fighters winning in the best possible way. Please support all of us representing Japan."

Other local warriors set to be part of ONE's stacked return to Japan are Kana Morimoto, Masaaki Noiri, Yuya Wakamatsu, Kaito Ono, Nadaka Yoshinari, Shinya Aoki, Hiroki Akimoto, Shozo Isojima, Shimon, Hyu, and Ryusei Kumagai.

Check out the complete lineup below: