The contract dispute between ONE Championship and Rodtang Jitmuangnon has escalated sharply, raising fresh uncertainty over whether his scheduled rematch with Takeru Segawa will proceed at ONE Samurai 1.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, the promotion confirmed it had initiated legal proceedings against Rodtang in Singapore, Japan and Thailand, citing what it described as multiple breaches of contractual obligations.
ONE said it has a “strict policy” on contract violations, including “providing misleading information and making defamatory statements”, and added that it would seek appropriate damages while declining further comment during the legal process.
Rodtang is currently slated to headline ONE Samurai 1 against Takeru on April 29 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, in a bout positioned as both the launch of the organisation’s new monthly Japan series and Takeru’s retirement fight.
Tensions had been building for weeks after Rodtang publicly claimed he was no longer under contract and open to offers from rival promotions.
He maintained that stance at last month’s ONE Samurai 1 press conference in Tokyo, describing the fight as a “one-off” while noting that, although other organisations had approached him, his focus remained on Takeru.
However, it was later reported that company sources insisted he remained bound to ONE under a 12-month matching clause following the expiry of his previous agreement.
Rodtang subsequently alleged on social media that his signature had been forged across multiple documents.
He said he had initially signed a single English-language document in good faith without fully understanding its contents, only to later find his name attached to more than 30 pages.
According to Rodtang, his lawyer confronted the individual involved, who admitted to signing some of the remaining documents.
The fighter insisted he was not seeking conflict for its own sake.
“I don’t want to quarrel or have problems with anyone,” he wrote. “But when I’ve been treated like this, I just want to fight for what is right.”
The situation intensified further on Tuesday.
Rodtang invited reporters to meet him at the Crime Suppression Division, where he filed a complaint with police, saying his “limit of patience” had been reached and framing the dispute as an effort to protect both himself and his family.
Later, following ONE’s statement, he posted a video of a phone call on social media, alleging he had signed the contract in 2022 but only received a copy in November 2025. He also reiterated that he could not read English and criticised the promotion, which he said had once described itself as family.
The breakdown in relations has been developing over several months.
Rodtang had already shown signs of frustration ahead of his planned November 2025 bout with Nong-O Hama in Tokyo, sharing a series of cryptic social media posts amid concerns over his purse.
After losing his flyweight Muay Thai title on the scale in late 2024, his guaranteed earnings dropped significantly from championship level, leaving him dissatisfied heading into the Nong-O fight.
Although he narrowly made weight, he later fell seriously ill, required medical attention and was hospitalised, forcing the bout to be cancelled.
For a brief period, relations appeared to improve.
In February, Rodtang shared a photo of himself embracing ONE chairman Chatri Sityodtong and spoke positively about their future.
Within hours, his rematch with Takeru was officially confirmed for the inaugural ONE Samurai 1 event, with an interim flyweight kickboxing title also set to be contested.
Rodtang reportedly earned approximately US$470,000 for his knockout victory over Takeru in Saitama last year and is believed to be on a similar purse for the rematch later this month — a figure that may have helped facilitate his return to Tokyo despite the ongoing dispute.
Any reconciliation, however, now appears to have been short-lived.
The combination of Rodtang’s contract claims, subsequent reporting on his legal status, his forgery allegations and ONE’s formal legal action has transformed what initially appeared to be a contractual disagreement into a highly public dispute.
The implications extend beyond a single athlete.
ONE Samurai 1 is intended to launch the promotion’s new monthly Japan series, a key market in its expansion strategy, and has also been positioned as a global pay-per-view event — increasing the stakes should the headline bout be cancelled at short notice.
The card remains strong regardless, with three additional world title fights confirmed alongside a Japanese-heavy lineup designed to introduce the Samurai series.
It remains unclear whether Takeru would accept a replacement opponent at this stage, particularly given that the 34-year-old has repeatedly framed the bout as his final opportunity for revenge after last year’s defeat.
Strawweight kickboxing champion Jonathan Di Bella has already indicated his availability on social media, posting an “always ready” message.
For now, the main event remains officially scheduled.
However, with legal proceedings under way across three jurisdictions, competing public claims and Rodtang pursuing the matter through both police channels and social media, the launch of ONE Samurai 1 has been overshadowed by a dispute that has now moved firmly into the public domain.
