ONE Boss Chatri Sityodtong Pays Tribute To Takeru And Sends Message To Rodtang After ONE SAMURAI 1
When Takeru Segawa stopped Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the fifth round to claim the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE SAMURAI 1 on April 29, it brought the curtain down on one of combat sports’ most decorated careers, and ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was not shy about what he witnessed.
Takeru finished his professional career 46-5, having come into Ariake Arena carrying the psychological weight of the 80-second knockout Rodtang had put on him at ONE 172 last March. What followed across five brutal rounds — two knockdowns in the second, a war in the fourth, and a definitive finish in the fifth — was a performance that left no doubt about the quality of the man who delivered it.
“We saw the best Takeru and the knockout,” Chatri said. “This is how I want Japan and the world to remember him. He overcame so much adversity and I have so much love and respect for him.”
That adversity was real and well-documented. Takeru had spoken publicly about the nightmares that plagued him in the weeks before the fight, about the fear of whether his body would hold up at all, and about his decision to accept whatever came rather than retreat from the challenge. He walked into his retirement bout terrified and walked out as a ONE World Champion. For Chatri, that arc defines what Takeru means to the sport.
The same fight that elevated Takeru left Rodtang on the wrong side of a fifth-round stoppage for only the second time in his career. The Thai superstar has defined ONE Championship’s flyweight division for years, and the loss to Takeru was the second defeat of his ONE striking career after falling to Superlek in 2023. Chatri acknowledged the difficulty of the moment for Rodtang while leaving the door open for what comes next.
“Of course, very sad for Rodtang. I know he’s heartbroken,” Chatri said. “But he’s a World Champion fighter. If he recommits himself to training, learning, growing, and if he’s hungry again, he can be on top of the world.”
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