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Superlek Kiatmoo9 learned firsthand why Takeru Segawa is one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Nine months after announcing his blockbuster signing with ONE Championship, Takeru made his long-awaited debut in front of his home country at ONE 165 on Sunday. Stepping into the main event, ‘The Natural Born Crusher’ delivered an instant classic as he went toe-to-toe with one of Thailand’s most beloved fighters, Superlek.
After five rounds of intense back-and-forth action, ‘The Kicking Machine’ was dubbed the winner via unanimous decision, retaining the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title in the process.
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Following the early Fight of the Year contender, Superlek had nothing, but positive things to say about Takeru while speaking at the ONE 165 post-fight press event.
“There's no surprise [about what he displayed today],” he said. “That's why he's the top fighter in the world. I thought that I was the heavy hitter, but I could not take him down, I could not drop him at all. He just kept coming right at me so he deserved to be one of the top fighters in the world.”
Superlek eyes rematch with Rodtang following win over Takeru
Superlek moved to 12-1 in ONE Championship and scored his 137th career victory overall. What comes next for ‘The Kicking Machine’ is still a mystery, but according to the man himself, he would welcome a rematch with Takeru or the opportunity to run back his three-round war with Rodtang.
“I’m still the champion, I’m ready to defend my title again against Takeru or go and have a rematch against Rodtang,” he said in his post-fight interview.
Rodtang and Superlek delivered one of the greatest Muay Thai fights of all time at ONE Friday Fights 34 in September. ‘The Kicking Machine’ came out on top, though many fight fans believe ‘The Iron Man’ did enough to leave Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with his hand raised.
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.
