Rodtang Withdraws From ONE 165, Superlek To Defend Flyweight Kickboxing World Title Against Takeru

There has been a seismic shift at the top of the ONE 165 bill.

Reigning ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon was originally scheduled to face multiple-time K-1 World Champion Takeru Segawa in a kickboxing super-fight, but an injury has forced the Thai megastar to withdraw from the headline attraction.

Now, ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 – who most recently handed Rodtang his first loss in ONE Championship – will step into the main event slot and defend his gold against the 32-year-old Japanese striking ace at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, January 28.

Superlek was preparing to defend his belt against Elias “The Sniper” Mahmoudi at ONE Fight Night 18 on Friday, January 12, but an injury forced the French-Algerian contender out of the battle. However, it means “The Kicking Machine” was already primed for action.

Since claiming the vacant kickboxing gold in January 2023, the Buriram native has successfully defended it once and also competed three times in Muay Thai. Currently, he finds himself on a 10-bout winning streak across both sports.

Most recently, the 28-year-old capped off the year with a memorable decision victory over Rodtang in their record-breaking clash at ONE Friday Fights 34 last September. In fact, the match was named the best Muay Thai fight of 2023. 

Takeru will have his hands full with Superlek, but the Japanese superstar is considered one of greatest pound-for-pound kickboxers on the planet today and has tremendous experience against his era’s biggest names.

Armed with a 42-3 professional record and 25 career KOs, the Team Vaselius representative is a truly elite striker who poses a huge threat to any opponent that stands in front of him.  

While he’ll have to adapt to a very different foe in Superlek, Takeru has seen it all in his storied career so far and won’t be fazed by the challenge. To date, he’s taken on three Thai athletes under kickboxing rules and knocked all of them out, and he’ll be confident he can alter his strategy to deal with the dangerous style that the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion presents.

Stay tuned to onefc.com for more news about ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru.