3/24/25: Rodtang Stops Takeru In 80 Seconds
Also: A Look At The Week Ahead
Welcome to a Monday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue is special! On Mondays, we usually just do a preview of the week’s upcoming events. We’re still doing that today! However, first, we have to tackle the numerous headlines which emerged from ONE Championship’s card Sunday card from Japan.
Before we get into today’s stories, a quick reminder that the newsletter doesn’t publish on Tuesdays. We’re likely to return on either Wednesday or Thursday with a mid-week headlines catch-up.
Alright, let’s begin!
News
Rodtang Earns 80-Second Win Against Takeru In Kickboxing Super-Fight
Muay Thai star Rodtang Jitmuangnon picked up an emphatic win in his long-awaited kickboxing clash against Japan’s Takeru Segawa.
In a super-fight that many have anticipated for nearly a decade, Rodtang disposed of fellow decorated combat sports star Takeru in the first round with an explosive knockout. His win headlined ONE Championship’s biggest Japan show to date, taking place inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Saitama on Sunday night.
Just 70 seconds into a fight that many expected could’ve gone a whole five rounds, a pair of left hooks sent Takeru tumbling into the ropes. Takeru reacted poorly to the shots, staring dazed and confused at his corner while on his knees.
Nearing the end of his mandatory eight-count, referee Olivier Coste made the call that Takeru wouldn’t be able to continue competing beyond the brutal knockdown. After just a little over a minute, a fight that many waited years to see had already come to an end.
While ONE 172 had five different title fights, it was the meeting between Rodtang and Takeru that rallied together a huge live turnout and worldwide interest this weekend. The matchup saw two incredibly successful bantamweight strikers share the ring for the first time, meeting after running in different circles of the combat sports world for years.
Takeru is best known for being a dominant force in the Japanese promotion K-1 throughout the 2010s, going on a streak of more than two dozen victories from 2012 to 2021.
While other recent appearances against high-level talents—including a 2022 defeat against Tenshin Nasukawa at the sold-out Tokyo Dome and an early 2024 loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9—indicated that he was no longer in his prime as a fighter, there was still large amounts of interest from the Japanese market to see him face a similarly prolific fighter like Rodtang.
Rodtang has been a stand-out name in ONE’s Muay Thai divisions since he first entered the promotion in 2018. He has attained 17 wins and just one loss, a run that kept him champion for years. The Thai fighter’s reign only came to an end last year after missing weight for a title fight, not losing the belt in competition.
For years, a clash between Rodtang and Takeru seemed unlikely, as Rodtang was locked down to an exclusive deal with ONE Championship while Takeru fought in domestic Japanese brands that hadn’t previously collaborated with the Singapore-based promotion. However, the fight became possible by 2023, when Takeru inked a contract to join ONE, marking his first major deal since departing K-1.
Takeru was originally booked to face Rodtang 14 months ago at ONE 165 in Tokyo. However, due to an injury, Rodtang was unable to make the appearance.
Now with another massive win under his belt, Rodtang hops he can regain champ status in ONE. “I put everything I have into each and every fight,” Rodtang said through an interpreter after his win. “And now, I am ready to take my belt back.”
Yuya Wakamatsu Scores Early Finish Against Adriano Moraes To Capture ONE 135-Pound Title
Yuya Wakamatsu can finally call himself a ONE champ.
The 13-fight ONE veteran earned a title in his home country of Japan on Sunday night, capturing the promotion’s vacant 135-pound MMA belt with a first-round finish win over former titleholder Adriano Moraes.
A finish came early for Wakamatsu due to his aggressive style on the feet. Chasing down Moraes with lightning-fast punches, he kept the Brazilian on his backfoot for minutes. Then, a little over halfway into the first round, a flurry of shots—including a clean right uppercut—dropped Moraes to the mat. Wakamatsu immediately followed him to the canvas with ground and pound strikes, continuing until the referee stepped in.
The win earned Wakamatsu easily his biggest victory since first joining the ONE roster in 2018.
“I want to show the people around the world who might be struggling with something that even somebody like me can have a success as great as this,” Wakamatsu said in his post-fight interview, through an interpreter.
Wakamatsu was given the title opportunity after previous champ Demetrious Johnson announced his retirement last year, vacating the title.
The 30-year-old former King of Pancrase was challenging for a ONE title for the second time this weekend. He previously lost in a 2022 meeting to Moraes, getting caught in the third round of a title bout with a guillotine choke. Not only did the result this weekend make good on his title wishes, but also avenged one of the few losses he has taken in the promotion.
Wakamatsu came into this weekend following a trio of ONE wins, including a first-round finish win over Xie Wei and a scorecard nod against experienced ONE talent Danny Kingad.
Moraes, a talent who has fought at the championship level of ONE since 2014, was looking to break a record in his appearance this weekend. A win would’ve kicked off his fourth title reign, giving him more championship stints in a single ONE division than any other fighter (he’s currently tied with 125-pound fighter Joshua Pacio, as both have attained three title reigns in their MMA divisions).
The 35-year-old, who saw his last time on top of the division come to an end in 2022 with a loss to Johnson, was entering with the momentum of a late-2024 win over Kingad.
There was no shortage of headlines emerging from Sunday’s ONE card. Here are some other stories that emerged from the show:
Masaaki Noiri captured his first ONE title on Sunday, giving Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym his first-ever stoppage loss in the promotion to earn an interim kickboxing belt at 155 pounds. A close battle against the Muay Thai champ dramatically swung in favor of Noiri halfway through the third, when a left hook sent Tawanchai to the canvas. Noiri poured on punches against a covered-up Tawanchai immediately after the fight resumed, continuing until the referee stopped the bout. He’s now set to eventually meet Superbon in a title unification fight.
Jon Di Bella lined himself up for a future rematch against main 125-pound kickboxing champ Prajanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym, capturing an interim title in an impressive five-round fight against Sam-A Gaiyanghadao. Di Bella marched Sam-A down with quick flurries of punches through five rounds, showing a speed advantage that allowed him to lead the dance. Di Bella’s first run with the title came to an end in 2024 after losing a decision to Prajanchai in June 2024 (although he technically was stripped of the belt that weekend due to not meeting ONE’s hydration testing requirements). Now with an interim belt in his possession, it makes a second meeting against him inevitable.
Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom defended her 115-pound kickboxing title for the first time, getting by former K-1 champ Kana Morimoto in a five-round unanimous decision outcome. The bout was quite competitive throughout, with Morimoto turning in a solid performance despite not being favored on scorecards.
20-year-old rising Muay Thai star Nabil Anane scored a massive win on Sunday against 145-pound champ Superlek Kiatmoo9, defeating him in a three-round decision. Anane put on a one-sided beating, scoring a knockdown in the opening round and continuing to dominate as the fight progressed. However, due to a weight miss issue earlier in the week, Anane missed out on the opportunity to take the Thai star’s belt with the win.
Saturday’s show proceeded without a kickboxing fight between Shoot Boxing star Kaito Ono and ONE vet Marat Grigorian due to a weight miss from Grigorian. The fight was set to be Kaito’s promotional debut.
170-pound MMA prospect Adrian Lee (3-0) had yet another quick showing on Sunday, submitting Takeharu Ogawa (3-1) in just 63 seconds with an anaconda choke. Lee—who comes from a family that has proven to be highly successful in ONE with siblings Angela, Christian and Victoria—has won all three of his pro fights via submission.
A significant portion of viewers online struggled with ordering the pay-per-view for ONE 172 on Sunday. Because of this, the event was uploaded to ONE’s Youtube page for free and the promotion offered refunds to purchasers of the show.
Here are the quick results from the show:
Bout 13: Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Takeru Segawa via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:20) (Kickboxing)
Bout 12: Masaaki Noiri def. Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:55) (Vacant Interim ONE Kickboxing Featherweight Championship) (155 lbs)
Bout 11: Yuya Wakamatsu def. Adriano Moraes via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:39) (Vacant ONE MMA Flyweight Championship) (135 lbs)
Bout 10: Jon Di Bella def. Sam-A Gaiyanghadao via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant Interim ONE Kickboxing Strawweight Championship) (125 lbs)
Bout 9: Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom def. Kana Morimoto via Decision, Unanimous (ONE Kickboxing Atomweight Championship) (115 lbs)
Bout 8: Nabil Anane def. Superlek Kiatmoo9 via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Nadaka Yoshinari def. Rak Erawan via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:40) (Muay Thai)
Bout 6: Shinya Aoki def. Eduard Folayang via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 0:53)
Bout 5: Hiroki Akimoto def. John Lineker via Decision, Split (Kickboxing)
Bout 4: Adrian Lee def. Takeharu Ogawa via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 1, 1:03)
Bout 3: Shimon Yoshinari def. Yodlekpet Or Atchariya via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai)
Bout 2: Hyu def. Zakaria El Jamari via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:12) (Kickboxing)
Bout 1: Ryusei Kumagai def. Suriyanlek Por Yenying via Decision, Unanimous (Kickboxing)
A Look At The Week Ahead
Friday
LFA 205: Pires vs. Abojer
LFA will find its next bantamweight champion when they head to Brasilia, Brazil on Friday evening.
While Brazil has become a frequent destination for LFA—with the country hosting 19 cards since the promotion first touched down in the region four years ago—they have yet to head to the country’s capital, Brasilia.
That will change this weekend when the promotion hosts a show headlined by a 135-pound title fight between Vinicius Pires and Lionel Abojer.
Pires and Abojer will be fighting over the promotion’s vacant bantamweight title, which was dropped by John Sweeney after he missed weight for a title fight last summer.
Brazil’s Pires has furthered his impressive record to 10 wins and just one loss since he joined the LFA roster in 2023. After finishing three of his past five opponents in the promotion—most of which entered with respectable prospect-level records—he’s getting the opportunity for his first-ever five-round pro appearance this weekend.
Looking to upset Pires in front of his home country's supporters will be Abojer. The former Argentinian regional champ has been on a red-hot run in recent years, having won his past five fights all via rear naked choke in either the first or second rounds. He’s coming back after a strong LFA debut last July, submitting stand-out prospect Apollo Gomes as part of a “Brazil vs. Latin America” card.
Before the main event, many other interesting names will be in action. Manoel Sousa, a former PFL talent who is returning after suffering his first pro loss, will meet Lucas Barros in the co-main event. The show will also feature Lucas Camacho, who is coming back after an unsuccessful “Dana White’s Contender Series” fight last year.
Here’s a look at the card:
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 9:00PM BRT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 14: Vinicius Pires (10-1) vs. Lionel Abojer (11-2) (Vacant LFA Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 13: Manoel Sousa (11-1) vs. Lucas Barros (8-2-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 12: Herbeth Sousa (18-2) vs. Michel Lima (19-6) (Bantamweight)
Bout 11: Xiomara Piriz (13-4) vs. Gabriela Fujimoto (6-0) (Strawweight)
Bout 10: Guilherme Pat (5-0) vs. Lucas Camacho (6-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 9: Diego Dias (18-5) vs. Pedro Henrique (16-9) (Middleweight)
Preliminary Card
Bout 8: Aristides Vinicius (9-2-1) vs. Luan Pedroso (10-4) (Featherweight)
Bout 7: Giovanni Garcia (8-0) vs. Emerson Oliveira (8-6-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: Joao Pedro Moreira (6-1) vs. Gustavo Ribeiro (5-0) (Featherweight)
Bout 5: Marcos Vinicius (5-0-1) vs. Neemias Santana (6-2-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 4: Diego Paiva (10-5) vs. Jeovanny de Oliveira (13-4) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Eduardo Dutra (4-0) vs. Luis Carlos Dietrich (5-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 2: Igor Taylon (8-4) vs. Wellington Mourao (12-4) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Thiago Taveira (8-3) vs. Douglas Silva (4-2) (Flyweight)
Saturday
UFC on ESPN: Moreno vs. Erceg
For the second consecutive year, Mexico will be treated to a UFC “Fight Night” card full of local talent.
The top MMA brand will head to the Arena CDMX in Mexico City this weekend, presenting a card that features tons of the promotion’s Mexican talent, including the country’s biggest MMA star at the moment.
Former two-time UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno will once again get the main event spotlight on Saturday, meeting recent title challenger Steve Erceg in a five-round tilt.
The main event bout sees a pair of highly respected 125-pound talents look to regain momentum after some unsuccessful appearances in recent memory.
Long-time title-level fighter Moreno slipped out of the division’s upper echelon by early 2024, losing his belt to Alexandre Pantoja in 2023 before giving up his #1-ranking spot to Brandon Royval in a five-round decision result. While he remained one of the highest-valued flyweights, the loss to Royval put him further away from a championship opportunity than he had been since early 2020, before he fought in an unofficial title eliminator fight at UFC 255.
Moreno’s process of rebuilding himself got started in November when he handed Amir Albazi his first UFC loss with a main event decision win. A victory on Saturday would further confirm his position as one of the division’s best-established contenders, continuing his path toward a potential second meeting against current champ Pantoja.
A win on Saturday would also earn Moreno his first UFC victory on a card in Mexico. He has turned in two losses and one draw when fighting inside the country on UFC cards: His 2024 loss to Royval, a 2019 draw to Askar Askarov, and a 2017 defeat against Sergio Pettis.
Erceg will be trying to avoid falling into a three-fight losing streak on Saturday, albeit returning after taking two of the toughest fights you could be given in the division.
After entering the UFC roster with back-to-back impressive performances, Erceg was surprisingly given a shot at champ Pantoja last May. While he predictably turned in a losing effort against the champ, Erceg’s ability to stick in the fight through five rounds raised his stock even further.
Erceg was stopped for the first time in his career when he last appeared, getting put away early by high-ranked contender Kai Kara-France.
Erceg hasn’t been successful lately, although he’s been getting harder assignments than most. With that being said, it’s never ideal for a fighter to take three losses in a row, hence why Saturday is a big fight for him.
Tons of fighters who represent Mexico will be in action earlier in the night, including former Combate Global champs David Martinez and Rafa Garcia, the always-busy strawweight Loopy Godinez, and flashy finisher Manuel Torres. It’s a decent “Fight Night” lineup this weekend with many interesting prospects set to be in action.
Here’s how the full lineup looks:
Main Card (7:00PM EDT / 5:00PM CST) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 13: Brandon Moreno (22-8-2) vs. Steve Erceg (12-3) (Flyweight)
Bout 12: Manuel Torres (15-3) vs. Drew Dober (27-14) (Lightweight)
Bout 11: Kelvin Gastelum (19-9) vs. Joe Pyfer (13-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 10: Raul Rosas Jr. (10-1) vs. Vince Morales (16-9) (Bantamweight)
Bout 9: David Martinez (11-1) vs. Saimon Oliveira (18-5) (Bantamweight)
Bout 8: Ronaldo Rodriguez (17-2) vs. Kevin Borjas (9-3) (Flyweight)
Preliminary Card (4:00PM EDT / 2:00PM CST) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 7: Edgar Chairez (11-6) vs. CJ Vergara (12-6-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: Ateba Gautier (6-1) vs. Jose Medina (11-4) (Middleweight)
Bout 5: Melquizael Costa (22-7) vs. Christian Rodriguez (12-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 4: Julia Polastri (13-4) vs. Loopy Godinez (12-5) (Strawweight)
Bout 3: Rafa Garcia (16-4) vs. Vinc Pichel (14-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Jamall Emmers (20-8) vs. Gabriel Miranda (17-7) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Austin Hubbard (16-8) vs. MarQuel Mederos (9-1) (Lightweight)
Sunday
RIZIN 50
Leading Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN will host their first event of 2025 this Sunday… Sort of.
If you count the promotion’s annual New Year’s Eve card from a few months back—where an instant classic main event war between Kleber Koike and Chihiro Suzuki took place as the clock crossed past midnight and the first moments of the 2025 started—then this weekend isn’t their first event of the year.
But for all intents and purposes, we’re going to consider RIZIN 50 the start of the 2025 schedule.
Heading to the Anabuki Arena in Kagawa, Japan, RIZIN has a solid numbered card being offered up to viewers this weekend. A rematch will go down in the main event, as newly-crowned RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Naoki Inoue will face off against Yuki Motoya.
Following the departure of former bantamweight champ Kai Asakura last year, Inoue was given his first opportunity to challenge for the promotion’s most notable title. While the former UFC fighter has been one of the division’s best names for years—piecing together a streak of five wins at one point—pivotal losses in the past against Hiromasa Ougikubo and Juan Archuleta have delayed his title aspirations.
But when finally given a chance at gold last September, Inoue didn’t disappoint. He scored a first-round stoppage against Korean contender Kim Soo-chul, berating him with an endless streak of punches until the referee stepped in.
The 27-year-old will now head into this weekend as champ for the first time in his career, facing off against veteran talent Motoya.
This weekend, Motoya is in a similar position Inoue found himself in last year, as he has long been a respected bantamweight but has fallen short of a title chance in the past. He has shown impressive consistency in recent years, with his only two losses through his past 10 appearances coming against fighters who have graduated to the UFC (Asakura and Vince Morales).
After a trio of wins last year, Motoya aims to capture his first-ever RIZIN title and also avenge a 2020 submission defeat he took against Inoue. The Nagoya-based talent has faced many big challenges in his decade-and-a-half-long pro career. His assignment on Sunday might be the biggest matchup he has received yet.
The lengthy 17-fight card is full of interesting matchups. The co-main event will see former featherweight champ Chihiro Suzuki return for the first time since dropping his title three months ago, facing dangerous rising Kazakhstan prospect Karshyga Dautbek.
Other appearances lower on the card include: Former title challenger Luiz Gustavo, amateur stand-out turned pro newcomer Sanoh Yokouchi, and returning strawweight king Haruo Ochi.
Sunday’s card will be streamed on RIZIN.tv internationally, where a purchase of the show is currently listed as free. Here’s how the card looks at the moment:
Main Card (12:00AM EDT / 1:00PM JST) (RIZIN.tv)
Bout 17: Naoki Inoue (18-4) vs. Yuki Motoya (37-12) (RIZIN Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 16: Chihiro Suzuki (13-4) vs. Karshyga Dautbek (17-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 15: Luiz Gustavo (14-3) vs. Shunta Nomura (8-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 14: Spike Carlyle (15-6) vs. Takeshi Izumi (5-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 13: Yuki Ito (17-5) vs. Tony Laramie (10-2) (Catchweight 130 lbs)
Bout 12: Yoshiro Maeda (39-19-3) vs. Sanoh Yokouchi (0-0) (Catchweight 130 lbs)
Bout 11: Takeji Yokoyama (6-1) vs. Shuya Kimura (4-0) (Featherweight)
Bout 10: Haruo Ochi (26-11-2) vs. Nobuyoshi Nakatsukasa (11-5) (Strawweight)
Bout 9: Ryo Sakai (14-12) vs. Ed Polo King (1-0) (Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Uoi Fullswing (24-15-5) vs. Koki Playboi Akada (0-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 7: Kyohei Hagiwara (7-10) vs. Toby Misech (12-11) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Machi (6-2) vs. Park Seo-young (5-4) (Strawweight)
Bout 5: Ryoya Inai vs. Rinto Kako (Catchweight 149 lbs Kickboxing)
Bout 4: Ryuki vs. Toki Kagawa (Catchweight 121 lbs Kickboxing)
Bout 3: Hiroki Takaoka (10-9-6) vs. Seiya Ameyama (4-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Ryuki Yoshioka vs. Daiki Kirizume (Catchweight 140 lbs Kickboxing)
Bout 1: Shoji Otani vs. Yamato Ashikaga (Catchweight 139 lbs KIckboxing)
A few more shows to keep an eye on this week…
One night before UFC’s card, LUX Fight League will head to Mexico City for a flyweight main event of their own. Luis Ivan Rodriguez (8-1), a 125-pound prospect who has built up an impressive record since making his pro debut for LUX in 2021, will get his second-ever shot at a title this weekend when he faces Alexandro Bravo (5-1) for an interim 125-pound belt. Ivan Rodriguez has earned a trio of wins since losing in his 2023 title bid, with a pair of performances from last year ending within a round. Bravo is getting the title opportunity after losing to main champ Jorge Calvo last year, snapping a five-fight undefeated record. (Watch: UFC Fight Pass)
A cross-promotional championship clash is set for this weekend in Sweden. Fight Club Rush Flyweight Champion Robullah Yousofi (6-3) will aim to defend his title for the second time when he takes on Karvann Ahmadi (5-2), who currently holds the 125-pound belt in fellow Swedish promotion Battle of Botnia. It’s not often that we write about Sweden’s regionals here, but this matchup on Saturday looks like an intriguing prospect showdown. (Watch: UFC Fight Pass)
Former KSW fighters Nicolae Bivol (6-1) and Wilson Varela (12-6) will vie for lightweight regional French gold when they headline Hexagone MMA 25 on Saturday. Varela is coming off one of the toughest matchups you could possibly take in the European scene, meeting Salahdine Parnasse last December. A second-round stoppage defeat against the two-division champ ended a six-fight winning streak that Varela had attained, including four past KSW wins. He’s now going up against Moldova’s Bivol, who has proven to be an impressive finisher through his five past appearances in Hexagone.