“I’ll be waiting here in the ring” - Takeru Segawa sends strong message to Rodtang after ONE Friday Fights 81 triumph 

Japanese icon Takeru Segawa secured his first victory in the largest martial arts organization at ONE Friday Fights 81 in spectacular fashion.

Inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the former three-division K-1 world champion knocked his Burmese opponent Thant Zin out with a knee-punch combination in the second round of their clash.

Back at ONE 165 in January, Takeru came up short in his promotional debut at the hands of Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9 despite managing to display his fighting spirit until the end of the five-round match.

Following his recent win, the 33-year-old mentioned the importance of the result for his career during the post-event interviews for one of ONE Championship's biggest weekly cards.

'The Natural Born Crusher' said:

"I came to ONE to fight Rodtang, and if I don’t win this fight, if I don’t get over this, I have no qualities to be in ONE. Right now, I get to meet Rodtang."

And for that reason, he had a special message for his next target, ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon:

"I am ready. For Rodtang, I hope you win your next fight and I’ll be waiting here in the ring."

Fans would no doubt want to see how Takeru fares against 'The Iron Man' if this fight turns into reality in the future.

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Takeru Segawa crushes Myanmar's Thant Zin in an epic showdown

Kickboxing royalty Takeru Segawa successfully secured his 44th career victory and his 26th knockout at the expense of Burmese knockout specialist Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81 on Sept. 27.

The empathic ending came in the second round of their fight. Takeru swooped in with a knee before going head-hunting and landing a left-right punch combination that sent Thant to the canvas.

After the clash, Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon surprised his rival with an appearance inside the ring to tease the long-awaited superfight between the two icons, and things got slightly heated with a short shoving match.

However, the night ended with mutual respect and smiles from both Takeru Segawa and Rodtang.