“The guy is a f***ing soldier” - Denis Puric warns Rodtang that Takeru won’t go down easily in their ONE 172 clash

Veteran striker Denis Puric likes the chances of Rodtang Jitmuangnon against Takeru Segawa in their marquee showdown next month in Japan. However, he warned the Thai superstar that the hometown bet will be a handful and not going down easily.

'The Iron Man' will battle 'The Natural Born Crusher' in a flyweight kickboxing matchup that will serve as the headlining contest at ONE 172 on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama. It will mark the realization of the long-planned showdown between the two martial arts superstars.

In a conversation with Sportskeeda MMA, Puric shared his thoughts on what Rodtang should be expecting against Takeru, saying:

"The guy is a f***ing soldier. He comes forward and Rodtang has to be careful of his boxing. I know he's got very, very good boxing. He's super-fast, lighting fast, and he's durable."

The dream matchup between Rodtang and Takeru has been in the works since the latter joined ONE Championship in 2023. They were initially penciled in to collide last year in Japan, but the Jitmuangnon Gym standout had to pull out because of injury.

For more information on ONE 172, check out watch.onefc.com.

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Rodtang says he is ready for Takeru in marquee Japan fight

While Denis Puric has sounded an alarm for Rodtang Jitmunagnon against Takeru Segawa, the Thai superstar is not fretting too much, believing he is ready to finally mix it up against the Japanese icon.

He shared this in the recent press conference for ONE 172, even claiming that if the fight took place at the moment, he would be ready.

Rodtang said:

"For me, this is my second press conference. I really want today to be a fight day. Because now I'm more than ready to fight Takeru."

Rodtang has won back-to-back matches heading into ONE 172, the most recent last November in a rematch over Jacob Smith of the United Kingdom. It was supposed to be a defense of his flyweight Muay Thai world title until he was stripped of it for missing weight. The match still went on for the title, with Smith the only one eligible to claim it with a win.