Rodtang wants Takeru next following triumphant return at ONE 167
Rodtang Jitmuangnon now wants to revisit unfinished business with Takeru Segawa.
The reigning ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion wasted no time in calling out the Japanese superstar following his successful return to action at ONE 167 on Prime Video on Friday, June 7.
“I want to fight Takeru. You ready? Takeru, let’s go,” he said after defeating Denis Puric by unanimous decision in a non-title catchweight kickboxing bout.
Both men had plans to face each other at ONE 165 in Tokyo, Japan, this past January. However, Rodtang withdrew from the dream encounter due to a hand injury.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 — the current ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion — took Rodtang’s place on the card. He went on to defeat Takeru by way of close decision.
The clash was not without its consequences. Takeru suffered a fractured knee from Superlek’s devastating leg kicks.
Nevertheless, Takeru’s road to recovery appears to be progressing well. In fact, social media clips indicate that he is already back in training.
Takeru cornered Masaaki Noiri’s when the latter fought Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong at ONE 167.
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong expressed his hopes of hosting the long-awaited matchup between Rodtang and Takeru later this year.
“I want to do Rodtang vs. Takeru, 100 percent. I want to do that fight this year. Maybe in Japan, let’s see,” he said during the ONE 167 post-event press conference.
Rodtang moves on from weigh-in debacle
For Rodtang, the journey back to the spotlight has been nothing short of an emotional roller coaster.
Despite the excitement surrounding his return, he faced a serious setback when he missed weight by a significant margin. This forced his showdown against Denis Puric to a catchweight of 141.25 pounds.
The mishap on the scales grew after a backlash from fans, a reality that had a profound impact on the Thai hard-hitter.
“I feel relieved right now. On the day that I missed weight, I felt bad for myself, and there was heavy drama and harsh comments online. I couldn’t even pick up my phone to check,” he said.
“The Iron Man” takes full responsibility for his mistake, vowing to rectify this in his next outing.
“A lot of people talked about how I didn’t train or anything like that. When I’m training, I’m focused on that,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s necessary for me to show everyone what I’m training each day or what I’m eating each day. It’s really irrelevant.”
