ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon enjoyed a ceremonious return to ONE Championship action this past weekend, following a stint on the sidelines over the last eight months.
"The Iron Man" took on a feisty Denis Puric in an exciting three-round catchweight kickboxing affair that many fans crowned the fight of the night after ONE 167 on Saturday, 8th June.
Rodtang was back to his charismatic self as he pocketed a unanimous decision win, and it seems ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has big plans for the Thai superstar next, per his comments to the media after the show.
"I want to do Rodtang vs. Takeru – 100 percent. I want to do that fight this year. Maybe in Japan, let's see. Let's see. But I definitely want to do Takeru vs. Rodtang," Sityodtong said:
Japanese striking powerhouse Takeru Segawa was set to meet "The Iron Man" in his ONE debut at ONE 165 in Tokyo this past January until Rodtang was forced to withdraw due to injury.
However, Sityodtong, like the rest of the world, is still eager to see the duo lock horns. And with the flyweight Muay Thai king back in action and Takeru seeking redemption for the loss he suffered in his replacement clash with Superlek at ONE 165, the timing may be perfect.
Confirmation of the brawl and its location are far from set in stone, though. Japan is undoubtedly in the ONE co-founder's mind. But if that doesn't work out, he likes the idea of making it happen in the U.S., given that the flyweight Muay Thai king got a rousing reception when he competed there at ONE Fight Night 10 last May.
"I need to sit down with Rodtang, and I need to sit down and talk with Takeru to see if and when they're going to fight. Or actually, when they're gonna fight. It's such a huge fight for them, and it will definitely be one of the biggest fights in Japan's history, right," Sityodtong said.
"So we want to do that ideally in Japan. But again, there's a lot of moving parts. But yes, if Rodtang is not fighting [in Japan], yes. I mean, Americans love Rodtang."
