Thai megastar Superlek hopes Japanese legend Takeru would “recover quickly” following world title firefight in Tokyo

Superlek Kiatmoo9 wishes nothing, but the best for his ONE 165 foe, Takeru Segawa.

Returning to Tokyo, Japan, ‘The Kicking Machine’ put his ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship on the line against Takeru in what will likely go down as one of the greatest fights in the history of the sport. Through five rounds of intense action, both men had their moments but failed to finish the other.

In the end, Superlek left Ariake Arena with his world title intact, spoiling the hometown heroes' long-awaited promotional debut.

Following the fight, there was nothing, but appreciation and respect for one another inside the ring. Taking to Instagram, Takeru once again thanked Superlek for fighting him and giving him a boost of motivation for the future.

“Thank you for fighting me,” he wrote. “Feeling your strength made me even more motivated.”

“❤️ I hope you recover quickly 🙏,” Superlek replied.

Fight fans are already clamoring for a rematch between the two combat sports legends, but for now, it appears as though ‘The Natural Born Crusher’ is intent on testing his skills against the steel-like chin of another ONE world champion — flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

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Is Takeru vs. Rodtang the fight to make after ONE 165?

Takeru was originally scheduled to square off with ‘The Iron Man’ at ONE 165, but an injury sustained while training forced Rodtang to withdraw from the contest, paving the way for Superlek to step in and put his 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold on the line.

With ONE gearing up for another massive slate of big events around the world, chances are the promotion will look to reschedule their contest for later in 2024. When and where that happens is yet to be determined, but fight fans will be ready to tune in when two of the world’s best strikers inevitably step inside the Circle.

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE 165 replay can be watched on demand via watch.onefc.com.