WATCH: The palpable tension between ONE 172's headlining superstars ahead of Japanese super card in March

ONE Championship is pulling out all the stops for its fifth visit to the Land of the Rising Sun, with ONE 172 happening on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Taking to Instagram, ONE shared some videos of the face-offs from the event's most recent press conference featuring its headliners, Japanese kickboxing megastar Takeru Segawa and Thai icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon, quite literally going head-to-head.

Check out the post below:

Takeru and the former flyweight Muay Thai king were supposed to have their dream fight at ONE 165 in January last year, but Rodtang was forced to withdraw due to a hand injury.

ONE 172's co-main event will feature ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai and Japanese standout Masaaki Noiri fighting over 26 pounds of interim featherweight kickboxing gold.

The undisputed ONE 145-pound Muay Thai world championship hangs in the balance at ONE 172 as interim bantamweight Muay Thai king Nabil Anane takes on bantamweight Muay Thai and flyweight kickboxing world titlist Superlek Kiatmoo9 in a unification bout.

Rounding out the top of the card are Jonathan Di Bella and the legendary Sam-A Gaiyanghadao clashing for the interim strawweight kickboxing crown, and Adriano Moraes hoping to upend Yuya Wakamatsu and reclaim the now-vacant ONE flyweight MMA world championship.

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Takeru aiming for marquee win over Rodtang at ONE 172

Takeru and Rodtang are two of the best pure strikers in the world today, and 'The Natural Born Crusher' is prepared to put everything on the line for a career-defining victory.

At the ONE 172 introductory press conference last December in Tokyo, Takeru had this to say about his impending firefight with Rodtang:

"I can't make any definitive statements about what might happen. I'm approaching this fight as if it's my last, giving everything I have. I'm only thinking about this fight. That's how much I'm investing in it."