ONE Samurai 1: Takeru Segawa Set To Retire From Kickboxing After Rematch With Rodtang

Japanese kickboxing star Takeru Segawa will retire after his rematch against Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE SAMURAI 1 on 29 April. The 34-year-old meets the Thai fighter in Tokyo's Ariake Arena for the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Title in his final bout.

Takeru holds a 45-5 record and is a three-division K-1 Champion. He said he has considered retirement for three or four years. About one year ago, he felt this would be his last chance to compete in his best condition.

Explaining his decision, Takeru said, "I had been thinking about when would be the right timing to retire for about three or four years. So the moment when I thought that this would truly be the last time I could [fight at my] strongest condition was probably about a year ago.

ONE Samurai 1: Why Did Segawa Decide To Retire?

He stressed that the choice was not forced by decline. "If I wanted to continue, I think I probably still could. But I thought this might be the last time I can put myself in my strongest condition, so I decided to retire this time, he said.

Across the ring will stand Rodtang, aged 28, one of the most well-known Muay Thai names. The former six-time ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion enters with a 274-43 record, including a 17-2 mark under the ONE banner before this second meeting.

Fighter	Age	Discipline	Career record	ONE record
Takeru Segawa	34	Kickboxing	45-5	Not stated
Rodtang Jitmuangnon	28	Muay Thai	274-43	17-2

Their first clash came at ONE 172 in 2025. That fight ended in 80 seconds as Rodtang stopped Takeru with a heavy knockout. The result stayed with Takeru and shaped his wish to face the Thai star again before leaving the sport.

Takeru said he always wanted a fierce stand-up battle with Rodtang. "I've always wanted to have that kind [slugfest] of fight with Rodtang. [During the] last fight, I couldn't even reach that point and lost. So, this is why I [always] believed I must fight Rodtang one more time. That's the reason I have come this far, he said.