WATCH: Japanese superstar Takeru Segawa turns up the heat in preparation for Saitama super fight against Rodtang at ONE 172

Japanese superstar Takeru Segawa is in the midst of training camp for his once-in-a-lifetime flyweight kickboxing bout against Thai great Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the headlining fight of ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23. The Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, will host the event.

In an Instagram video, ONE shared Takeru's high-intensity padwork under the guidance of longtime trainer Masakazu Watanabe. The caption of the post read:

"Speed on 🔥 Who's gonna take the lead with that lightning-fast pace at ONE 172 in Japan — Takeru or Rodtang? 🇯🇵 @k1takeru"

The three-division K-1 world champion made his promotional debut at ONE 165 in January 2024, where Rodtang was supposed to be his opponent. However, the Thai standout withdrew from the card due to a hand injury he sustained in training.

This unfortunate turn of events opened the door for Takeru to challenge two-sport ONE world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship. Despite the defeat, the 33-year-old won over the fans and his peers in ONE because of his hearty performance.

In September, the Team Vasileus founder notched his first win in ONE with a come-from-behind knockout of Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81.

---

Rodtang expresses excitement for Takeru clash at ONE 172

Rodtang recognizes how long fans have waited to see him duke it out with Takeru inside the circle, and he is sharing in their enthusiasm weeks ahead of ONE 172.

Taking to Instagram, the former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion wrote in the caption of a recent post:

"One month that I have been waiting, my body is ready to add you [to my victim list]. Thank you to all the fans around the world who have been waiting for my big fight. Let‘s have fun.👊🏻👊🏻🇯🇵🇹🇭"

ONE 172 is available via watch.onefc.com.