"Rodtang accepts me as his rival" - Takeru takes no offense to Rodtang's shove in heated face-to-face
Takeru Segawa was able to put on a show in his return to action at ONE Friday Fights 81 this past weekend. Though his fight was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the night, what followed was even more exciting.
The Japanese superstar had to dig deep to come out on top against Thant Zin at the Lumpinee Stadium on Sept. 27. After rallying in the second round and finishing his opponent, he was joined in the ring by a familiar face.
Takeru initially signed with ONE Championship for one particular reason, a huge super fight against Muay Thai icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon. The fight was booked for ONE 165 but didn't happen after 'The Iron Man' withdrew due to an injury and was replaced by Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Now, the dream fight appears to be back on following a tense staredown between them this past weekend.
In a post-fight interview with Nick Atkin, the kickboxing specialist spoke about how despite Rodtang getting physical with him and pushing him back in their face-to-face, he welcomes that from his future opponent:
"No, it made me happy. Because it also showed that Rodtang accepts me as his rival. Rodtang showed me that emotion."
Watch the full interview below:
Takeru isn't going to back down from this fight
There aren't many strikers on the planet that would embrace this kind of emotion from a feared striker like Rodtang, but Takeru is certainly one of them.
The Japanese star has shown in his two appearances under the ONE Championship banner that he doesn't wilt under pressure.
He has shown tremendous heart in both of his fights, and that will be called into question once again when he shares the ring with 'The Iron Man'.
One thing we know for sure is that 'The Natural Born Crusher' wants all the smoke.
The replay of ONE Friday Fights 81 is available at watch.onefc.com for those who purchased the PPV.