“I could not walk on my own” - Takeru shares the severity of the damage Superlek caused in ONE 165 mega fight

ONE Championship had a stellar return to Tokyo, Japan, with a big lineup of athletes fighting at ONE 165 this past Sunday, January 28.

Chief among them was the debuting Takeru Segawa, who challenged Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship in the main event.

Fans witnessed an instant classic as the two stars gave no quarter to one another for the better part of five rounds, with Takeru’s flurry of punches and kicks in rounds three and four giving fans reason to hope for an upset.

However, ‘The Kicking Machine’ choosing to invest in breaking down the lead leg of ‘The Natural Born Crusher’ worked. It severely limited his hyper-aggressive style - a game plan that Superlek revealed prior to the bout.

When it was all said and done, Superlek left the Ariake Arena with his ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship, leaving a limping Takeru inside the ONE ring.

Takeru recently shared the extent of the damage that his leg received in an Instagram story photo and had the following to say:

“I got taken to the hospital immediately after the fight. I could not walk on my own and everyone took me to my house. Very grateful.”

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What the future holds for Takeru

With the hopes of Japanese fans on his shoulders, Takeru could not help but let his emotions flow in the post-fight interview as he repeatedly apologized to them for failing to win.

If anything, Takeru proved that he can hang tough with the very best in ONE Championship, and it would not be surprising to see him fight again this year - after recuperating from his injuries, of course.

It would make sense for him to fight Rodtang Jitmuangnon, as they were the original opponents for ONE 165 before ‘The Iron Man’ pulled out due to injury.