ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong is with fans all over the world who are disappointed that they won’t be seeing a showdown between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Takeru Segawa at ONE 165, but he shared some news this week that should inspire optimism. 

Rodtang was slated to headline the Sunday, January 28, card opposite the Japanese striking sensation in a kickboxing mega fight inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, but an injury forced him out of the contest. 

Rodtang Jitmuangnon pulls out of his fight against Takeru Segawa

Instead, Takeru will now challenge Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship when ONE makes its return to The Land of the Rising Sun. 

In a press conference for the event, Chatri explained that while Rodtang will not be competing, he will be present in Tokyo to watch the fight unfold. He also shared news on the Thai star’s disappointment at the turn of events and how the new headlining bout came to be. 

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“Rodtang will come to watch this fight in Tokyo on January 28th. He really wanted to fight Takeru. It’s genuinely unfortunate that Rodtang had to withdraw due to injury during training,” he said.

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“However, Superlek was fortunate because he was ready for the match as he was scheduled to fight Elias on January 13, but the latter withdrew.”

Will the much-awaited battle take place in the future?

While the match between Rodtang and Takeru isn’t going down at ONE 165, the ONE chief believes a win from the Japanese superstar could make their eventual faceoff even bigger. 

He revealed that the flyweight Muay Thai king is adamant about facing Takeru with or without gold on the line once he is fully healed. 

Additionally, he said that Rodtang has expressed his desire to face Takeru’s former rival – Tenshin Nasukawa – in a boxing match, where Nasukawa transitioned to starting last year. 

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“If Takeru wins this match and defends the belt against Rodtang in the future, it would create an even bigger story. Two days ago, when I spoke to Rodtang. He said, ‘Chatri, whether or not Takeru is the champion, I want to fight him. Also, I want to have a boxing match with Tenshin in ONE,’” Sityodtong said.

“So, Tenshin, if you are interested, let’s have a boxing match with Rodtang in ONE.”