“A weight had been lifted from my shoulders” - Takeru says joining ONE Championship helped him rediscover joy in fighting 

Takeru Segawa admits his years of fighting at the top of the Japanese kickboxing circuit took a toll on him mentally.

'The Natural Born Crusher' felt like he needed a fresh start and he hit the reset button when he joined the world's largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship.

It turned out to be the best decision Takeru ever made for his professional career.

In an exclusive interview with ONE, the former multi-division K-1 world champion credited the home of martial arts for reigniting his inner fire for fighting:

"Throughout my career, I had suffered through pressure and the need to rise to the occasion in every fight, but I felt liberated from such an oppressive mental burden. Also, fighting overseas, I felt that a weight had been lifted from my shoulders."

The Team Vasileus star also said that excitement gave him a renewed sense of purpose and helped him win his last fight. Takeru added:

"I think this shift in how I mentally and emotionally prime myself for the fight was instrumental in earning a victory against Thant Zin. I am in a similar mental state preparing for the fight against Rodtang, so I feel that the newly rediscovered joy in fighting will bear fruit once again."

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Takeru ready to unleash the improvements he made to beat Rodtang

To say that Takeru is beyond hyped for his next match-up would be a massive understatement. The Japanese megastar will finally get the dream match he's been calling for in the main event of ONE 172 in less than two weeks.

Takeru has had 'The Iron Man' on his crosshairs since signing with ONE, and he's thrilled to finally test himself against one of the best in the world.

'The Natural Born Crusher' detailed during the ONE 172 Open Workouts:

"Rodtang is an incredibly tough fighter. He's strong in exchanges, technically skilled, has good defense - he's strong in all aspects. But I've been training specifically to beat him."

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the fabled halls of Saitama Super Arena on March 23. Visit watch.onefc.com to witness this blockbuster card via global pay-per-view.