"Hurt the kicking machine with a kick" - Takeru's near finish of Superlek has fans going mental for the Japanese megastar

If there were a 'What-Could-Have-Been' award in ONE Championship, Takeru Segawa's near finish of reigning two-sport and two-division world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 during their main event fight in January 2024 at ONE 165 would be a candidate.

The Japanese superstar may have lost a unanimous decision to 'The Kicking Machine', but he had his best moment in the third round of the bout that almost got him the victory.

ONE Championship looked back at this sequence in a recent Instagram video:

"ROCKED 💥 Can 'The Natural Born Crusher' STOP Thant Zin on September 27 at ONE Friday Fights 81? 🥊 @k1takeru"

'The Natural Born Crusher' stunned the Thai superstar with a vicious body kick, followed by a relentless boxing combination that forced him to survive until the end of the round.

Unfortunately, it was not enough for him to get a knockdown or the finish, but fans still tipped their hat to Takeru, as users @teucirilo, @ruben91r, @td_ogcjm, @dan_ruination, and @cwooz17 praised him for the gallant stand:

"Superlek said he was in survival mode during 2 moments in this fight. Don't underestimate Takeru"

"Definitely hurt the kicking machine with a kick"

"He could have knocked Superlek out right there. Those shots are hurting him but he didn't go for the Kill. Kick to the head or even a nasty uppercut could have dropped him right here."

"How Superlek ate all those punches like dessert though 😮‍💨"

"Dayum he tried to fight off a liver kick"

Screenshot of fans' comments

Takeru and Superlek have since gone on different paths.

Superlek now reigns as the ONE flyweight kickboxing and bantamweight Muay Thai world champion, while Takeru is heading into his comeback fight after suffering muscle tears at ONE 165.

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Takeru Segawa wants to bounce back with a knockout victory against Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81

Following that defeat from Superlek and his full recovery from the damage he sustained during that match, Takeru is finally back in action on Sept. 27. He is scheduled to face Myanmar star Thant Zin in a flyweight kickboxing contest at ONE Friday Fights 81 at Lumpinee Stadium.

Before he throws hands with Thant Zin, the Team Vasileus representative shared his thoughts about his upcoming 19-year-old opponent as he looks to bounce back in an epic fashion. Takeru shared this in a recent interview with ONE Championship and said:

"He's a young fighter, so he'll have momentum. I'll be careful of that while sticking to my own fighting style. Since he's an aggressive type, I want to win by KO."

ONE Friday Fights 81 will air live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.