“I had changed some things”- Takeru admits close call against Thant Zin forced him back to the drawing board

Second-ranked ONE Championship flyweight kickboxing contender and former multi-division K-1 world champion 'The Natural Born Crusher' Takeru Segawa of Japan has had his toughest battles since joining the world's largest martial arts organization last year, to say the least.

After losing a unanimous decision to 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 in January of 2024, Takeru returned months later to defeat Burmese phenom Thant Zin via second-round knockout at ONE Friday Fights 81.

But that didn't come without an early scare.

Takeru was knocked down early in the fight and had to battle back to stave off another potential loss on his record.

Admittedly, that close encounter forced Takeru to take a step back and reevaluate his training.

He told ONE Championship in a recent interview:

"Prior to my last fight against Thant Zin, I had changed some things in my preparation for the fight, in terms of technical and skill-related work and priming my physical condition through the rigor of fight camp. I am implementing the very same changes this time around, and I am feeling good."

Now, Takeru is ready for the biggest fight of his life when he returns to action later this month.

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Takeru Segawa to face Rodtang Jitmuangnon in highly anticipated showdown at ONE 172 in Japan

Japanese kickboxing superstar 'The Natural Born Crusher' Takeru Segawa is ready to return to action opposite Thai icon 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

The two face off in a flyweight kickboxing super-fight at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, which will be broadcast live from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Sunday, March 23.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live on-demand via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Takeru Segawa's next fight.