ONE 172: “That's his dream”- Chatri reveals what’s next for Takeru after shocking knockout loss to Rodtang

“That's his dream”- Chatri reveals what’s next for Takeru after shocking knockout loss to Rodtang

Modified Mar 28, 2025 09:02 GMT

Takeru Segawa, Chatri Sityodtong, Rodtang Jitmuangnon - Photo by ONE Championship

ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was absolutely blown away by an amazing event last weekend at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, which broke many of the promotion's viewership and engagement records in Japan.

The main event, in particular, which featured former multi-time K-1 kickboxing world champion 'Natural Born Krusher' Takeru Segawa taking on former flyweight Muay Thai titleholder 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon drew millions of eyes to the world's largest martial arts organization.

Unfortunately, the hometown hero lost via quick first-round knockout to the Thai megastar, and naturally, it sparked questions about Takeru's future.

Speaking to the media at the ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang post-fight press conference backstage, Sityodtong gave a quick update about the future of the 'Natural Born Krusher'.

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Sityodtong said:

"I went backstage, Takeru still wanted to fight again. Again, I'll talk to my team, and figure out what's next for Takeru. But Takeru wants to fight for the world title one day in ONE that's his dream. He wants to follow [Masaaki] Noiri. That's what he said. So let's see what happens."

Needless to say, Takeru remains one of the top flyweight kickboxers in the world despite the loss.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang took place live from the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, last Sunday, March 23rd.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand on watch.onefc.com.

Takeru Segawa on knockout loss to Rodtang at ONE 172: "What I did in the ring was the best I could do"

'Natural Born Krusher' Takeru Segawa braved the ONE 172 post-event press conference despite losing by knockout to Thai rival 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the evening's main event.

The 33-year-old answered media questions and had this to say about his performance:

"I haven’t seen the fight yet. But what I can say is what I did in the ring was the best I could do at this moment."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Takeru Segawa's next fight.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by C. Naik