Takeru Vs. Rodtang – The Biggest Kickboxing Fight In ONE Championship History

At ONE 172, we will see one of the biggest fights of this generation when 3 division K-1 champion Takeru Segawa faces off against the biggest Muay Thai star of this generation, Rodtang. In a classic battle of Muay Thai vs. Kickboxing in Japan of the Rising Sun, this isn’t just the biggest fight in recent Kickboxing and Muay Thai history, but the biggest fight in the history of ONE Championship.

Headlining an incredibly stacked card with this bout being heavily focused on ONE’s kickboxing talent, which is a breath of freshness as for the past year, ONE has concentrated on its Muay Thai far too much for MMA and kickboxing fans. Many of ONE’s talents are leaving on Sour terms, such as Reinier De Ridder for MMA and Chingiz Allazov. Especially in the early 2020s, when ONE had an incredible stable of talent across all combat sports. Especially with their incredible Kickboxing Grand Prix tournaments

Now, things have changed in 2025. ONE 171 was a fantastic MMA focus card, and now we get one of the most anticipated match-ups of the decade in Rodtang vs. Takeru. This is in Japan, where Kickboxing is still quite popular, along with many of the top Japanese kickboxers in the world, such as Masaaki Noiri and Hiroki Akimoto. They will face off against Thailand’s finest, such as Sam-A, Prajanchai, and Tawanchai.

However, that’s just the undercard. The main event between the two biggest stars in Muay Thai and Kickboxing is just too intriguing to miss. Both are action stars, and both have fallen to similar fates. Takeru and Rodtang lost the best of their generation, Superlek, the two-division and two-sport champion, and the prodigious Tenshin Nasukawa, who was talented enough to transition to boxing and become a top-ranked fighter in a totally new sport.

On top of that, this fight has been anticipated for over a year, as these two were originally set to face off at ONE 165. Rodtang had to pull out due to an injury and was replaced by Superlek.

Since Takeru’s loss to Superlek, he has rebounded with a sensational win against Thant Zin. Rodtang has a solid kickboxing wing against Bosnian Muay Thai slugger Denis Puric before losing his flyweight Muay Thai title on the scale in his rematch against Jacob Smith. So, both fighters have built their confidence in preparation for this fight.

Takeru vs. Rodtang is the next step in Kickboxing’s destiny.

This fight between the two stars will likely decide the future of not just ONE but of all Kickboxing in Muay Thai in general, as this fight supersedes world titles. Also, because both of these men are still younger fighters, this is an excellent showing of the greatest tradition in Muay Thai and Kickboxing. The best fighting the best, and things are now even being forgotten in the world of MMA. However, at ONE 172, Kickboxing and Muay Thai will prove why they are the greatest combat sports in the world with the most courageous stars.