ONE Championship shared the entire fight footage for the action-packed kickboxing bout between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Takeru Segawa.
On Jan. 28, Superlek replaced the injured Rodtang Jitmuangnon and put his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title on the line against Takeru in Tokyo, Japan. ‘The Kicking Machine’ was assigned a tough challenge to take out the Japanese superstar, but he showed again why he’s one of the best pound-for-pound kickboxers on the planet.
Superlek’s success primarily came from his relentless leg kicks that took away from his opponent’s mobility. Meanwhile, Takeru was focused on getting inside and landing combinations, nearly leading to a KO/TKO win in round three.
Once the dust settled, Superlek’s hand was raised by unanimous decision as he retained his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title. For those who didn’t see the pay-per-view main event at ONE 165, the promotion posted the fight on YouTube with the following caption:
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“Defending king Superlek and Japanese legend Takeru went all out in a five-round war for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title in the main event of ONE 165!”
Superlek’s latest victory has pushed his promotional records to 4-1 in kickboxing and 9-0 in Muay Thai. The ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion is also riding a nine-fight win streak between three kickboxing bouts and six in “The Art of Eight Limbs.”
Watch Superlek vs. Takeru below:
Takeru Segawa felt 'frustrated' following loss against Superlek Kiatmoo9
Takeru Segawa had high expectations for his ONE Championship debut. Despite showcasing his heart during the five-round battle with Superlek Kiatmoo9, the Japanese superstar is understandably devastated to suffer the world title loss in his home country. He had this to say in a recent Instagram post:
"Until last night my feeling was ‘I gave it all’ but when I woke up today, I felt so frustrated. I’ll recover as soon as possible."
So, what’s next for Takeru? First and foremost, ONE must decide if they want to book the Muay Thai rematch between Superlek and Rodtang Jitmuangnon. If the promotion goes in a different direction, Takeru and Rodtang have voiced their interest in competing in a kickboxing bout later this year.