‘I Cannot Quit Without Revenge’ – Takeru Promises A Storybook Ending Against Rodtang In ONE Samurai 1 Rematch
Eighty seconds. That is all it took to hand Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa the most humiliating defeat of his legendary career—and ignite the relentless fire that has been burning inside him ever since.
Making his monumental farewell appearance on Wednesday, April 29, the former three-division K-1 World Champion will headline ONE Samurai 1, the inaugural edition of ONE Championship’s landmark new Japanese series, broadcasting live from Tokyo’s historic Ariake Arena.
Standing across the ring is the architect of that profound wound, Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon. The two striking icons will run it back with the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Title hanging in the balance, but for “Natural Born Krusher,” this rematch transcends the mere pursuit of gold.
Carrying the unfinished business of a proud champion who refuses to let humiliation dictate his final chapter, the 34-year-old Japanese megastar detailed his mindset:
“After I lost to Rodtang, that was around the time I started thinking that I must defeat Rodtang and retire. I lost to him in the first round. Until then, I had never lost a fight like that quickly. That was also the first time I lost by such a clear KO.
“He was the first opponent who gave me that level of humiliation as a fighter. So I feel if I don’t get revenge against a fighter like him, I can’t finish my career as a fighter.”
Those haunting words carry the full, devastating weight of what transpired at ONE 172 inside the Saitama Super Arena in March 2025.
Marching forward with the terrifying aggression that has made him one of the most feared strikers on the planet, Rodtang backed Takeru toward the corner post.
In a completely shattering moment, the Thai megastar unleashed a booming left hook that separated the Japanese icon from his consciousness, dropping him to the canvas for good at the 1:20 mark of their flyweight kickboxing superfight.
A shell-shocked Saitama crowd watched in stunned, absolute silence as their hometown hero struggled to find his footing. It was the kind of definitive, violent finish that leaves permanent psychological scars.
However, Takeru is not a man who stays down in the dark. Returning to the Ariake Arena at ONE 173 last November, he earned a spectacular highlight-reel finish over Denis “The Bosnian Menace” Puric.
That emphatic statement proved the competitive fire still rages, his hands still carry lethal danger, and the World Champion inside him refuses to be extinguished. Still, he knew the rematch with Rodtang had to happen, and it had to happen under the absolute right circumstances.
The Team Vasileus representative told ONE:
“Last time, I was not in the best condition with some injuries, so I wanted to fight him one more time as my last match and in the best condition.
“After all, I signed with ONE Championship because I wanted to fight Rodtang, so I must fight in the best condition. If not, I would remain frustrated.”
The true purpose behind his entire ONE journey has always pointed directly toward this inevitable collision.
Everything he has endured — the grueling promotional debut against reigning World Champion “The Kicking Machine” Superlek, the physical rebuild after the heartbreak in Saitama, and the utter destruction of Puric — has merely been a stepping stone on his path back to Rodtang.
Now, entering the arena healthy, incredibly hungry, and standing on the grandest stage his home country can offer, the Japanese martial arts icon arrives with a massive debt to collect against the former longtime ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion.
Takeru’s Farewell Mission: Gold, Glory, And The Last Word
When the Ariake Arena opens its doors on April 29, the venue will host one of the most emotionally charged sporting spectacles Japan has witnessed in years. Takeru Segawa fully intends to give his devoted fans a cinematic send-off they will never forget.
Capturing the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Title and simultaneously avenging the darkest chapter of his professional career — all on home soil in his retirement bout — would be the absolute stuff of legend.
To achieve this storybook ending, he must conquer two massive ambitions at ONE Samurai 1:
“For myself, the most important thing is to give everything that I have, win the final fight, and achieve both of my long-time goals: get the ONE belt and defeat Rodtang.”
The poetic symmetry of this matchup could not be more perfect, nor could the challenge be more daunting. Rodtang carries a staggering 274-43 career record and 17 promotional victories into this blockbuster rematch.
“The Iron Man” simply isn’t the kind of fighter who softens or shows mercy. He arrives in Tokyo as dangerous as ever, with his own legacy-defining ambitions burning just as fiercely.
But Takeru has never needed the odds to be in his favor to summon his absolute best:
“I have never lost in the way I did in the last fight, so I cannot quit without revenge on that.”
