"Are you ready?" - Thai megastar Rodtang issues challenge to Takeru, Japanese legend promptly responds

Of all the superstars that ONE Championship has on its roster, ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon has earned his place among the upper echelon.

'The Iron Man' is just 26 years old, but fans have already seen him fight in some epic wars out of his 16 contests en route to superstardom.

That level of tenacity and willingness to fight against the very best helped him bring new fans to the promotion and he was set to do so once more earlier this year at ONE 165 in Tokyo, Japan against debuting Japanese kickboxing megastar Takeru Segawa.

However, Rodtang was forced off the card due to injury which opened the door for ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Takeru to engage in an instant classic of a five-round war.

Missing out on that opportunity to fight Takeru appears to have been weighing heavily on the mind of Rodtang who recently called out the 'Natural Born Crusher' via Instagram:

"Are you ready to meet me? I'm always waiting for you. 👊🏻"

In an instant, Takeru responded:

"🤝🔥"

Rodtang's intense rehab after injury

The left-hand injury Rodtang sustained before ONE 165 had many fans not expecting to see him back fighting any time soon, but he's is a different beast altogether.

As early as the first week of March, the Jitmuangnon Gym product shared via social media that he was close to peak condition, and a few weeks later, was already showcasing his trademark power by firing off bombs with his injured hand in training.

With Takeru's response to Rodtang's challenge, all they need now is a date for when their long-anticipated bout will finally take place.