“It was cool to fight” - Takeru Segawa recalls how watching action flicks led to his love of martial arts and fighting

Every fighter has an origin story, and Takeru Segawa is no different. Takeru's love for martial arts, though, came from a rather peculiar place.

While some fighters found their love for martial arts through training and competing, Takeru fell in love with fighting through the television screen.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Takeru revealed he fell in love with martial arts after watching action movies and series growing up in Japan.

Takeru Segawa pointed out that the fictional characters who embodied heroism and bravery resonated with his young mind, and he ultimately carried that fascination when it was his turn to do the beating.

He said:

"I admired strong people. I watched martial arts on TV and thought it was cool to fight, win, and be strong."

From watching movie heroes to becoming a real-life one himself, Takeru eventually became one of the greatest kickboxers in Japanese history.

Takeru previously held K-1 Kickboxing bantamweight, featherweight, and super featherweight world titles and is the only fighter to become a three-division world champion in the promotion.

He then made his high-profile move to ONE Championship in January 2024, where he had a bittersweet debut against now-reigning ONE flyweight kickboxing and bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Takeru challenged Superlek for the flyweight kickboxing crown in the main event of ONE 165 at Tokyo's Ariake Arena but fell via unanimous decision.

Nevertheless, Takeru is determined to return to world title contention and plans to restart his bid when he takes on Burmese rising star Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81 on Friday at Lumpinee Stadium.

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Takeru Segawa proud to represent Japanese fighters on the global stage

Japan has always been a nation known for its love of martial arts, and Takeru Segawa wants to make his country proud when he next steps between the ropes of the ONE Championship ring.

Takeru is hellbent on holding a piece of ONE Championship gold, just as his compatriot Hiroki Akimoto did in 2022 with the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title.

In the same interview with the promotion, Takeru said:

"I want to achieve results on the ONE stage as a representative of Japan, [fellow Japanese fighter Hiroki] Akimoto has already become a ONE world champion once, but I want to show the strength of Japanese fighters in ONE as a Japanese representative."