Takeru Segawa And Yuya Wakamatsu Aim To Deliver For Japan At ONE Samurai 1
Tokyo’s Ariake Arena will host one of the most emotionally loaded nights in recent ONE Championship history when ONE Samurai 1 takes place on April 29. Two of Japan’s finest warriors headline a card that carries the weight of an entire nation’s combat sports pride — and both men arrive carrying promises they intend to keep.
In the main event, Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa steps into the ring for the final time. The three-division K-1 Champion faces Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon in a rematch for the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Title, a fight that has consumed Takeru’s thoughts for years.
Rodtang dismantled him in just 80 seconds at ONE 172 last March — a single left hook that ended the night before it ever truly began. The devastation of that loss nearly pushed the 34-year-old Team Vasileus standout toward retirement, but what emerged instead was purpose. A second-round TKO of Denis Puric at ONE 173, worth a US$50,000 performance bonus, confirmed that the fire had not gone out. Now, Takeru reframes the whole arc on his own terms.
“Looking back, I believe that even my previous loss was all part of the story,” he said, “leading to this retirement fight where I turn everything around and claim the belt.”
The farewell carries a clarity that only fighters who have truly suffered can articulate. For Takeru, the obsession with Rodtang predates his time in ONE Championship entirely — and that singular focus has shaped everything.
“I’m incredibly happy to be able to fight Rodtang again in my final professional bout. Ever since before I joined ONE, all I’ve ever thought about was defeating Rodtang.”
Sharing the Tokyo spotlight is ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu, who makes his second title defense against Avazbek “Ninzya” Kholmirzaev. The Kagoshima native silenced his doubters emphatically at ONE 173, stopping Joshua Pacio — himself a world champion — in the second round to deny him two-division glory. Wakamatsu knows Kholmirzaev brings a different kind of threat, a ferocious all-around game anchored by a right leg kick that demands respect.
“He is an extremely aggressive fighter with a high level of skill across striking, takedowns, and submissions,” the TRIBE Tokyo MMA affiliate said. “In particular, his right leg kicks are very dangerous.”
The champion has not simply prepared to survive those dangers. He has rebuilt himself to transcend them. Every facet of his game has been sharpened ahead of this homecoming, and Wakamatsu arrives at Ariake Arena believing he has become a complete martial artist.
“I want to give everything I have and show the skills and mental strength I have built up over the years at ONE Samurai 1. I am confident that fans will see a new side of Yuya Wakamatsu — and honestly, I can’t wait to see what kind of fight I can put on myself.”
As for Takeru, the final statement is already composed. The speech was written the moment he agreed to face Rodtang one more time, and it ends with a championship and a career defined on his own terms.
“I will prove once and for all that Takeru is at the center of the combat sports world. I’m going to win this.”
READ MORE: Yu Yau Pui Returns To The Ring Against Anna Jaroonsak At ONE Fight Night 41
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