ONE Championship has introduced it’s taking authorized motion towards Rodtang Jitmuangnon in three nations, citing a number of breaches of his contractual obligations with the promotion. The transfer comes lower than two weeks earlier than Rodtang is scheduled to headline ONE Samurai 1 towards Takeru Segawa on April 29, 2026, in Tokyo.
In an official assertion posted throughout ONE Championship’s social media platforms, the promotion confirmed it has initiated authorized proceedings in Singapore, Japan, and Thailand. The organisation cited “a number of breaches of contractual obligations,” in addition to the “dissemination of doubtless deceptive data and statements that could be thought of defamatory” because the grounds for motion.
ONE stated it had made “steady and honest efforts to work with Rodtang in good religion” earlier than reaching this level, however that repeated disregard for contractual obligations left them with no selection. The promotion added that it intends to hunt “acceptable damages within the related jurisdictions” and won’t be commenting additional on the specifics of the authorized proceedings whereas the investigation stays ongoing.
How It Obtained Right here
The state of affairs has been constructing for months. In November 2025, Rodtang pulled out of a scheduled Flyweight Muay Thai World Title combat towards Nong-O Hama at ONE 173 in Tokyo after informing medical workers he was unwell following weigh-ins. The combat by no means passed off, and Nong-O had additionally did not make weight, compounding an already messy state of affairs for the promotion.
Issues escalated additional in February 2026 when Rodtang posted cryptic messages on social media hinting at career-related frustrations. He then filed a defamation complaint at Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau on February 19, concentrating on on-line customers he accused of creating abusive feedback about his household. Whereas separate from his points with ONE, it underscored a interval of surprising public exercise from the fighter.
The contract dispute got here into full view in March 2026. On March 25-26, Rodtang went public on Fb confirming that his cope with ONE Championship had formally ended and that he was reviewing the phrases of a brand new provide. ONE Championship sources, nevertheless, instructed the Bangkok Publish that Rodtang remained below contract with the promotion regardless of his public claims on the contrary.
Then, in early April 2026, Rodtang took issues additional by publishing an in depth Fb publish alleging that somebody had cast his signature on greater than 30 contracts. He alleged that when his lawyer confronted the person concerned, the person admitted to signing the extra contracts himself. It’s this chain of occasions, the general public contract expiry claims, the solid signature allegations, and associated social media posts, that seems to kind the idea of ONE’s grievance about deceptive statements and potential defamation.
The Battle Is Nonetheless On
Regardless of the authorized motion, Rodtang’s scheduled rematch with Takeru Segawa stays on the cardboard for ONE Samurai 1 on April 29 at Ariake Enviornment in Tokyo, with the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Title on the road. Rodtang himself had confirmed the Takeru combat can be a “particular bout exterior of his contract phrases” a framing that ONE’s authorized motion now straight challenges.
The 2 fighters first met at ONE 172 in March 2025 at Saitama Tremendous Enviornment, the place Rodtang stopped Takeru with a left hook at 1:20 of the primary spherical to win the kickboxing superfight by knockout. Takeru referred to as for the rematch instantly, requesting Rodtang because the opponent for what he described as his remaining skilled combat. The bout was formally introduced in February 2026 and confirmed for April 29.
Whether or not that combat goes forward as deliberate now sits in an unsure area. ONE has not indicated any intention to drag the bout from the cardboard, and Rodtang confirmed as not too long ago as late March 2026 that he’s “totally ready” to compete. ONE says the authorized course of is ongoing and won’t remark additional. No particulars have been launched on how proceedings in three separate jurisdictions, Singapore, Japan, and Thailand, will work together, or what timeline the promotion is working towards.
