"I really wanted to win" - Emotional Takeru thanks Japanese fans for support after devastating setback against Superlek

Former multi-division K1 world champion Takeru Segawa fell short in his quest to dethrone ONE flyweight kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the main event of ONE 165 last Sunday.

Fighting in front of his loyal Japanese supporters at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, ‘The Natural Born Crusher’ gave his all in a five-round striking war.

Once the 15 minutes elapsed, it was clear that Superlek outclassed the hometown favorite and came away with the hard-fought unanimous decision victory.

While Takeru was gracious in defeat, he was a picture of devastation during his post-fight in-ring interview with Mitch Chilson.

Overcome by emotions, the 32-year-old superstar poured his heart out and expressed how much he wanted to win it for his compatriots.

“I really wanted to win, and I just want to thank everyone who has been in my corner since day one. I want to thank the fans in attendance, all the fans watching on pay-per-view. I trained so hard for this. There’s been a lot of stuff going around in Japan like the earthquake. A lot of people.”

Despite falling short on the judges’ scorecards, Takeru has nothing to be shamed about his performance.

The Japanese icon took ‘The Kicking Machine’s best shots and kept marching forward, even putting the champion on the defensive in round 3 with his blitzing combinations.

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Chatri Sityodtong praises Takeru for his commendable ONE debut

ONE shared a clip of Takeru’s post-fight speech online, which garnered tons of positive responses from fans and fellow fighters alike.

Among those impressed by the challenger’s grit and resolve was Chatri Sityodtong, who made it known in the comment section of the post.

The ONE Chairman and CEO wrote:

“Takeru brought honor and glory to Japan with his bushido warrior spirit! What a true martial artist with a warrior's heart!”