The Takedown | ONE Championship: Takeru must earn chance at revenge against Rodtang
Japanese star was badly beaten in their last meeting, so needs to pick next opponent carefully
When you’ve spent years covering fighters, you start to recognise the ones who have it. That undefinable X-factor. The kind of charisma and presence that doesn’t just fill an arena – it lingers in the memory.
Takeru Segawa is one of those rare fighters.
Across hundreds of interviews over the years, I’ve noticed a common thread, particularly with many Western fighters: they got into combat sports because of films: Kickboxer, Bloodsport, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat. These films truly helped shape a generation of combat sports icons.
Takeru evokes that same energy.
Whether it’s his bespoke walkout kimono, movie star looks, or the sea of fans that erupts when his music hits, the man radiates the aura of a big-screen action hero. He’s the kind of fighter youths would pin a poster of on their bedroom wall. But this is a brutal business, and in combat sports, action heroes don’t always get fairy tale endings.
Now 34, recently married, and already a multi-time world champion, Takeru has lived the dream. He became a legend in K-1 and was Japan’s biggest kickboxing star before signing with ONE Championship – a move driven by one goal: to fight Rodtang Jitmuangnon.