“Get ready for me!” - Rodtang tells Takeru to brace himself for their inevitable showdown in 2025
After adding another win to his resume at ONE 169, Rodtang Jitmuangnon is ready for his long-awaited clash against Japanese kickboxing icon Takeru Segawa.
Though he lost his ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title on the scale, 'The Iron Man' delivered another dominant showing inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium, besting British standout Jacob Smith in the evening's co-main event.
What comes next for the Thai superstar remains to be seen, but if fight fans and Rodtang have any say in the matter, it should be the former three-division K-1 titleholder. Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Rodtang said:
"See you next year and get ready for me! It’ll be a match that fans will all be impressed for sure. Takeru, be ready!"
Rodtang and Takeru have been a dream match for fight fans long before the two P4P greats called ONE Championship home. Now competing under the same banner, 2025 appears to be the year that martial arts' biggest global stage will finally showcase one of the biggest fights in combat sports history.
After earning his first win in ONE Championship, Takeru is ready for a clash with Rodtang
Making his promotional debut at ONE 165 in January, Takeru suffered a setback against the current two-sport king, Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Though 'The Natural Born Crusher' more than held his own against 'The Kicking Machine' in Tokyo, it was Superlek who came out on top, leaving Takeru with one of the nastiest leg injuries in recent memory.
However, Takeru has since bounced back via an impressive performance against Burmese knockout artist Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81.
However, 'The Iron Man' was none too impressed with Takeru's performance against Thant Zin and issued a warning to the Japanese star taking in the action from ringside:
"I just want to say you had it easy tonight. When you face me, it’s not going to be this easy."
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.