Thai superstar Rodtang keen on giving Japanese icon Takeru a rematch under “any rules, any format”

There could be a sequel to the blockbuster showdown between future legends Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Takeru Segawa. The Thai megastar shared on Instagram that he's keen on granting Takeru a rematch following his 80-second knockout win over the Japanese superstar at ONE 172 in March earlier this year.

Rodtang wrote that he'll take on Takeru under any ruleset in ONE Championship after their first fight drew massive crowds at the historic Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

He posted:

"That fight was probably too soon. But if you’re interested, I’m ready to give you a rematch—any rules, any format, I’m ready. 👊🏻👊🏻"

The build-up to the mega fight between the two started as early as late 2023 when it was announced that Takeru would make his ONE Championship debut against Rodtang in January 2024.

However, the former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion was forced out of the match due to an injured left hand.

Then, in December 2024, ONE Championship announced that Rodtang and Takeru would headline ONE 172 at Saitama Super Arena. Rodtang and Takeru faced off a couple of times in press events in Tokyo, building palpable excitement for their flyweight kickboxing super fight. Thousands packed the historic stadium in Saitama to witness the titanic clash, expecting a pure barnburner between the two all-time greats.

Rodtang, though, decided to end the night barely over a minute into the super fight. After eating a venomous right hook from Takeru, Rodtang answered with a diabolical left hook that floored Takeru for the knockout win.

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Superlek lauds Rodtang's sublime 80-second KO of Takeru

One fighter on the planet knows what it's like to face Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Takeru Segawa: Superlek Kiatmoo9. The ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion fought Takeru and Rodtang in back-to-back super fights and won both matches via unanimous decision.

In an interview with Nick Atkin, the Thai superstar was in pure awe of what Rodtang did in his match against Takeru at ONE 172. Superlek said:

"It was incredible to see that match. I did secretly hope it would go a little bit longer cause it would have been entertaining to see. But, well, he knocked him out in the first round. It was super impressive. I think he did great."