Takeru Segawa Wants His Last Fight To Mean Something Beyond A ONE World Title
Takeru Segawa could have chosen an easier farewell. A lighter opponent, a softer stage, a more comfortable exit. He chose none of those things. He chose Rodtang Jitmuangnon, the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Title, and the opening night of Japan’s biggest new martial arts platform.
The former three-division K-1 Champion headlines ONE SAMURAI 1 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on April 29, and the 34-year-old has made clear this is not a retirement lap. It is the final statement of a career built on exactly this kind of pressure.
“I believe this fight will be the one to leave the proof of what I have done as a fighter,” he said. “I consider this retirement fight the culmination of everything I have done as a fighter, and not just a regular fight of my career. Victory would definitely be special because this is the fight to win the ONE Championship belt and defeat the opponent I have always wanted to fight the most before I retire.”
Rodtang stopped him inside 80 seconds at ONE 172 in Saitama last March. Takeru has spent every session since working out what went wrong and what needs to change. The answer, he says, comes down to how he trains rather than what he knows.
“What I learned from the first fight, perhaps, is that conditioning is absolutely important,” Takeru said. “Previously, what mattered was how much I forced myself to push to the limit in preparation for a fight, because this was how I kept winning — this was my only way. But with age, there have been different ways I approach my practice. These days, I’m paying most attention to that so I can ensure that I enter the ring in the best condition.”
The fight is the headline, but Takeru’s investment in April 29 runs deeper than his own result. ONE SAMURAI 1 launches ONE Championship’s new monthly series in Japan, and as the man headlining its first edition, he understands what his performance sets in motion for everything that follows.
“I hope ONE SAMURAI becomes the place where fighters from other organizations want to compete to decide who is the strongest,” he said. “Just like when K-1 became popular back in the day.”
That legacy-building extends past the final bell of his career. Takeru has thought carefully about what Japanese combat sports needs when he steps away and what kind of leader it deserves.
“After my retirement, I hope the martial arts sports industry will remain popular and lively,” he said. “I would like fighters who truly care about the martial arts industry to lead it. So, it should not be someone who only thinks about themselves, even though in martial arts, it’s unavoidable that people become focused only on themselves.”
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