“No Matter how much it hurts, keep going!” – Chatri Sityodtong consoles Takeru after knockout loss

After a crushing defeat at the hands of the “Iron Man” Rodtang in the first round of the main event of ONE 172, backstage, an emotional Takeru was comforted by ONE championship company chairman Chatri Sityodtong where he would reassure “The Natural Born Crusher” that he he’s still one of the best fighters in the world. Chatri would say the following to the Japanese star:

“This Doesn’t Change Anything. You’re defintely one of the best in the world.”

“It was just a split second. It was just one misstep.”

“keep going. Stay strong. Turn this into an inspiring story for the fans in Japan and all over the world.”

“No matter how much it hurts… keep going. Let’s get up!”

Takeru would go on to thank the chairman of the company for hosting such a massive card in Japan, and Chatri would continue to sing Takeru’s praises, that he is still a legendary figure in the sport of kickboxing and a leader for Japan as a martial artist.

Chatri sityodtong reassures us the Takeru’s journey is not over.

Despite the shocking loss to what was Rodtang at his true potential, and the former three division k-1 champion having chased this fight for over a year. The quick and devastating loss can put any fighter in a situation where they can question their own ability to compete at the top anymore. Thankfully, the boss, Chatri, swooped to let the Japanese kickboxing star know that ONE championship will have his back in his journey on the biggest stage in martial arts.

And for us fans of kickboxing, especially the super exciting Japanese kickboxer, we’re happy to see Takeru get the love and support he deserves to get back in the ring doing what he does best.