Rodtang Jitmuangnon put a swift end to the highly-anticipated flyweight kickboxing showdown with Takeru Segawa at ONE 172. On March 23, “The Iron Man” needed only 80 seconds to score a resounding knockout. It was a shocking conclusion, even to the man who threw the impactful left hook.
Rodtang Recalls Quick Finish at ONE 172
“I didn’t expect that knockout to happen in the first round, but I did train very hard for it, to find a way to finish Takeru. Back home in Thailand, I’ve been training very hard for this fight. I have studied all the weaknesses, and all the openings of Takeru, and that left hook is one of the moves that I trained. I feel like I did my part, but I didn’t expect that finish that quickly,” Rodtang admitted at the post-event press conference.
The super-fight was years in the making. After Takeru signed with ONE Championship, the match became imminent. With the build-up, Rodtang was hoping for a longer encounter to put on a show, but his detailed studying of his Japanese rival paid off. The Thai star entered in immaculate shape and flashed renewed power in his first stoppage victory since 2023.
Rodtang Breaks Down the Win
“As I answered in some of the press conferences before that, I want to take the first two rounds to box, box it up with Takeru, to see who’s gonna be the one left standing. But it’s incredible. I didn’t even realize that my hands had that much power to knock him out. Even I’m surprised,” Rodtang said.
The win was more than just a marquee performance against a top athlete, but a statement he has returned to form. After missing weight in 2024, Rodtang was stripped of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title. That has weighed heavy on the Thai star, who said he cried until he fell asleep because of the misstep.
Rodtang Getting Healthy
Now, with a nutritionist, Rodtang appears to be in the best shape of his career. After a massive knockout win on a huge platform, “The Iron Man” is looking to reclaim his throne in 2025. He promises to keep working hard to make sure he can be the best striker in the flyweight division.
“I felt like this was a bad dream, but now the answer clearly shows that I have found success again. I remind myself every day during training on how successful I was and why I became famous in the first place, and now I’m really dedicated. I have no break,” Rodtang stated.
