Muay Thai star Rodtang Jitmuangnon picked up an emphatic win in his long-awaited kickboxing clash against Japan’s Takeru Segawa.
In a super-fight that many have anticipated for nearly a decade, Rodtang disposed of fellow decorated combat sports star Takeru in the first round with an explosive knockout. His win headlined ONE Championship’s biggest Japan show to date, taking place inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Saitama on Sunday night.
Just 70 seconds into a fight that many expected could’ve gone a whole five rounds, a pair of left hooks sent Takeru tumbling into the ropes. Takeru reacted poorly to the shots, staring dazed and confused at his corner while on his knees.
Nearing the end of his mandatory eight-count, referee Olivier Coste made the call that Takeru wouldn’t be able to continue competing beyond the brutal knockdown. After just a little over a minute, a fight that many waited years to see had already come to an end.
While ONE 172 had five different title fights, it was the meeting between Rodtang and Takeru that rallied together a huge live turnout and worldwide interest this weekend. The matchup saw two incredibly successful bantamweight strikers share the ring for the first time, meeting after running in different circles of the combat sports world for years.
Takeru is best known for being a dominant force in the Japanese promotion K-1 throughout the 2010s, going on a streak of more than two dozen victories from 2012 to 2021.
While other recent appearances against high-level talents—including a 2022 defeat against Tenshin Nasukawa at the sold-out Tokyo Dome and an early 2024 loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9—indicated that he was no longer in his prime as a fighter, there was still large amounts of interest from the Japanese market to see him face a similarly prolific fighter like Rodtang.
Rodtang has been a stand-out name in ONE’s Muay Thai divisions since he first entered the promotion in 2018. He has attained 17 wins and just one loss, a run that kept him champion for years. The Thai fighter’s reign only came to an end last year after missing weight for a title fight, not losing the belt in competition.
For years, a clash between Rodtang and Takeru seemed unlikely, as Rodtang was locked down to an exclusive deal with ONE Championship while Takeru fought in domestic Japanese brands that hadn’t previously collaborated with the Singapore-based promotion. However, the fight became possible by 2023, when Takeru inked a contract to join ONE, marking his first major deal since departing K-1.
Takeru was originally booked to face Rodtang 14 months ago at ONE 165 in Tokyo. However, due to an injury, Rodtang was unable to make the appearance.
Now with another massive win under his belt, Rodtang hops he can regain champ status in ONE. “I put everything I have into each and every fight,” Rodtang said through an interpreter after his win. “And now, I am ready to take my belt back.”
Here are the quick results from Sunday’s card in Japan:
Bout 13: Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Takeru Segawa via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:20) (Kickboxing)
Bout 12: Masaaki Noiri def. Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:55) (Vacant Interim ONE Kickboxing Featherweight Championship) (155 lbs)
Bout 11: Yuya Wakamatsu def. Adriano Moraes via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:39) (Vacant ONE MMA Flyweight Championship) (135 lbs)
Bout 10: Jon Di Bella def. Sam-A Gaiyanghadao via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant Interim ONE Kickboxing Strawweight Championship) (125 lbs)
Bout 9: Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom def. Kana Morimoto via Decision, Unanimous (ONE Kickboxing Atomweight Championship) (115 lbs)
Bout 8: Nabil Anane def. Superlek Kiatmoo9 via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Nadaka Yoshinari def. Rak Erawan via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:40) (Muay Thai)
Bout 6: Shinya Aoki def. Eduard Folayang via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 0:53)
Bout 5: Hiroki Akimoto def. John Lineker via Decision, Split (Kickboxing)
Bout 4: Adrian Lee def. Takeharu Ogawa via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 1, 1:03)
Bout 3: Shimon Yoshinari def. Yodlekpet Or Atchariya via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai)
Bout 2: Hyu def. Zakaria El Jamari via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:12) (Kickboxing)
Bout 1: Ryusei Kumagai def. Suriyanlek Por Yenying via Decision, Unanimous (Kickboxing)
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