Japanese kickboxing sensation Takeru Segawa has his sights set on the upper echelons of ONE Championship's roster.
"Natural Born Crusher" cleared the final hurdle ahead of his promotional debut, taking out British striker Bailey Sugden with a fifth-round head kick at MTGP in Paris.
Speaking after his latest knockout victory, Segawa revealed that ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon is firmly in his crosshairs.
"Right now, I only have eyes for Rodtang," he said.
"In my future career in martial arts, I want to stay true to myself. I want to fight the opponents I want to fight and give it my all to make it happen. I am ready, so I want to fight him right away."
Rodtang has been utterly dominant in his ONE career so far, remaining undefeated in 14 outings under Muay Thai and kickboxing rules stretching back to 2018.
Segawa, on the other hand, signed with ONE earlier this year with much fanfare after a dominant career on home soil in which he amassed an impressive 42-3 record with 25 knockouts.
The 31-year-old will now look to make a similar impact on a global level with ONE, with Rodtang as his first target.
His willingness to fight "The Iron Man" is born mostly out of respect, and a desire to steal the spotlight from the man who holds the No.1 ranking in the flyweight kickboxing division in addition to the flyweight Muay Thai strap.
"He is a Muay Thai fighter, but he also has good punches, strong physicality, and technical skills. He is a strong and versatile fighter with a strong mentality," Segawa said.
"In addition to that, he can energise the audience. There aren't many fighters like him in the world. That's Rodtang's strength and charm. That's why I want to surpass him. I want to showcase the strength of Japanese martial arts to the world."