“Made me reevaluate my approach” - Takeru Segawa says losing his ONE debut was a blessing in disguise

Second-ranked ONE Championship flyweight kickboxing contender 'The Natural Born Crusher' Takeru Segawa of Japan ran into a brick wall in his promotional debut in January of 2024.

Takeru lost badly against two-division, two-sport world champion 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 165 in Tokyo, injuring his leg due to the Thai dynamo's nasty kicks.

Admittedly, the heartbreaking setback caused Takeru to take a step back and reevaluate his career. At that moment, the Japanese icon and former K-1 world champion realized he had to make a change if he were to compete among the best in the world's largest martial arts organization.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Takeru said:

"After the fight with Superlek, I realized that pushing myself to a breaking point does not necessarily prime myself to fight at my best. Therefore, the Superlek fight made me re-evaluate my approach to optimizing my physical performance."

Now, Takeru is ready to reclaim lost glory in the best way possible by taking out Thailand's biggest name.

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Takeru Segawa to face Thai rival Rodtang Jitmuangnon in ONE 172 flyweight kickboxing super-fight

'The Natural Born Crusher' Takeru Segawa of Japan is gearing up to take on former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion 'The Iron Man' Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a fight he has been asking for at least a year.

The two lock horns in the main event 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 pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.