ONE Championship fans were disappointed in January when one of the most anticipated bouts of the year; a clash between Muay Thai legend, “The Iron Man,” Rodtang Jitmuangnon, and Japanese Kickboxing phenomenon, Takeru Segawa, at ONE 165 in Tokyo fell apart just shy of the finish line.
Rodtang suffered an arm injury and had to pull out of the bout, and though a Featherweight Kickboxing title clash between Takeru and Superlek Kiatmoo9 served as an exhilarating replacement for the card’s main event, fans have not forgotten about the promised clash between the striking titans.
A few days ago, ONE Championship CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, revitalised the hopes of ONE’s global fanbase by announcing that the long-awaited clash was back on the cards but stopped short of making the bout official.
“They have agreed to the fight already – we have a date, we have a venue, we’re just not announcing it yet,” said Chatri, “If Takeru wins on Friday and Rodtang wins his next fight, 100 percent they are fighting.”
Even the stars themselves have continued to build hype around the fight with their online antics. In a recent interview about the prospective bout with Takeru, Rodtang said, “I’m here waiting. I’m ready to go, any time.”
Of course, Takeru has just won his latest bout, knocking out Thant Zin in the second round of their clash at Friday Fights 81. Rodtang was at the stadium in attendance, taking notes on his potential adversary, and even met the Japanese star in the ring after his victory to let him know he was game for the fight. An announcement to which Takeru simply replied,
“Rodtang, I’m ready. Let’s fight.”
Given that this seems to be the fight that everyone, from Chatri to the fighters and fans want to see, we’re going to take the next few paragraphs to speculate on what the bout will look like and whether or not fans can expect a high-octane KO finish when it finally occurs.
Everyone knows Rodtang as the reigning ONE Flyweight Muay Thai and former Omnoi Stadium Champion. The internet is abuzz with his highlight reel antics in the 4oz gloves, but he has also fought under kickboxing rules and recently defeated ONE #2 ranked Muay Thai contender, Denis Puric, in the boxing-styled gloves.
Unlike his multi-sport opponent, Takeru is strictly a kickboxer and all of his bouts on ONE have been under the kickboxing ruleset. So, it’s safe to assume this inevitable clash will be fought under Takeru’s preferred ruleset, in bigger gloves, and without the Muay Thai clinch or elbows.
What Do The Stats Say?
In the ring, anything can happen. Sometimes all it takes is a single shot, in the right place, to put even the most elite fighter to sleep on the canvas, and sometimes, they’ll wear every single one of their opponent’s most powerful strikes and continue marching forward. But, with that being said, we can look at the styles and recent records of both Takeru and Rodtang to make some predictions on how their bout may take shape.
Rodtang is a reigning tour-de-force on the ONE roster who has only lost once under kickboxing and Muay Thai rules in his 17 exhilarating bouts on the promotion. He’s gone toe-to-toe with some of the biggest names in combat sports including some insane bouts against Australian, Danial Williams, and Englishman, Jacob Smith. He fought toe-to-toe for most of these fights and hardly seemed bothered by their most powerful attacks. Even though he was defeated by Superlek in their action-packed bout late last year, “The Kicking Machine’s” 5lb weight advantage didn’t give him the edge he needed to finish “The Iron Man.” So, it’s safe to say that Rodtang doesn’t go down easily.
However, despite being one of the most prolific Muay Mat’s since Anuwat Kaewsamrit and delivering some of the most spectacular bouts in ONE history, Rodtang isn’t a huge KO artist. Only two of his last fifteen wins have come from stoppages and those were against Jonathan Haggerty, whom he stopped with body shots, and Edgar Tobares, whom he flattened with a second-round elbow.
Alternatively, Takeru Segawa is known for his fast-paced, aggressive stoppages, most of which come from his hands. The Japanese star has won over half of his fights by KO. Eight of his last ten wins have come by way of stoppage and all but one have come through his fast and powerful hands.
Reading the statistics, it would seem that if there is a stoppage in this bout, it will come from the Japanese star’s arsenal but, that being said, both fighters use different styles, so we’ll need to look a little deeper before we close the book on our predictions.
A Clash Of Styles
Simply put, Rodtang is not your regular fighter. He rose to stardom off the back of online reels where he shook off his opponent’s most powerful punches with a laugh and a smile. Even when he was dropped by the heavier, Superlek’s elbow, he bounced straight to his feet, and many felt that he was unlucky to get given a count. So even though Takeru is known for creating stirring knockouts, he’s facing a man who is seemingly impervious to them.
Rodtang’s style, which involves probing an opponent with punches, reading their responses, and punishing them as they enter his effective range, seems to be the perfect antidote for Takeru’s high-paced, forward aggression.
In his debut against Superlek, “The Kicking Machine,” was able to disrupt all of Takeru’s forward momentum with crushing low kicks. Rodtang has been noted to stop his opponent’s aggression in its tracks with teeps and leg kicks of his own. So, considering the Thai was at the ringside to watch Takeru’s latest fight, it’s almost certain that he’s watched his bout with Superlek and taken note of his fellow countryman’s keys to victory.
It should also be considered that Takeru limped his way through most of his bout with Superlek and was dropped by Thant Zin’s hands in the first round of his bout last weekend. Even though the stats say predict he would most likely be able to secure a knockout victory in this bout, he’s not immune to being hurt himself. An opponent as elite and resilient as Rodtang could weather Takeru’s storming hands and summon an electrifying knockout of his own.
In Summary
The highly anticipated bout between Takeru and Rodtang has been brewing for well over a year. Recent interviews with the stars and ONE Championship’s CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, as well as the post-fight antics at Friday Fights 81 seem to indicate that this bout will be back on the cards soon.
It seems logical for the bout to be fought under Kickboxing rules but beyond that, all we can do is speculate on how this electrifying fight will take shape.
Takeru is a knockout artist with incredible hands but his opponent Rodtang, seems almost impervious to damage in the ONE arena. So, while the Japanese star seems the most likely to create a KO finish if there is one, he needs to remember, that he’s fighting Rodtang, and “The Iron Man” is not known for going down easily.
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