Rodtang apologises after fifth-round knockout loss to Takeru at ONE Samurai 1
Rodtang Jitmuangnon has apologised to fans after losing by fifth-round knockout to Takeru Segawa, who claimed the interim ONE flyweight kickboxing world title.
ONE Samurai 1, one of the biggest fight events of the year, has come to a close with Takeru Segawa stopping Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the fifth round of their main event on Wednesday (April 29) to win the interim ONE flyweight kickboxing world title.
Rodtang, the former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion, later posted an emotional message after the defeat, saying: “I’m sorry. I’m deeply upset that this happened. I just want everything to stop.”
Retired Thai taekwondo star Panipak “Tennis” Wongpattanakit, who was at ringside for the bout, also posted a message of support for Rodtang, writing: “Fight again. Get some rest, recover, then come back and go again. I’ll always be cheering for you.”
After the event, ONE Championship chief executive Chatri Sityodtong gave a fiery post-fight interview in the press room, where he praised Jonathan Haggerty for successfully retaining his title and stressed that discipline and humility were at the heart of becoming a world-class fighter.
He then delivered a line that drew a strong reaction in the room, saying: “We’ve all seen what happens when someone has a lot of money, a lot of fame, and lets it take over — when they stop developing, stop training, and their environment changes. Tonight, we saw an example of that.”
Chatri also underlined the demands of competing at the highest level, saying: “Becoming the best fighter in the world in the greatest martial arts organisation is not easy, and staying there is even harder.”
Although he did not mention Rodtang by name, many in the sport interpreted the remarks as referring to the Thai fighter after his high-profile defeat, sparking widespread debate across the combat sports world.
