“My mindset changed” – Takeru on how training with Thai fighters motivated him to chase greatness

Before he became one of the best kickboxers in the modern era, Takeru Segawa admits he started as a ‘hobbyist’ in the martial arts world.

Unaware that his talent could earn him a living and turn him into a global superstar, the Japanese superstar got inspired to go all-out in his dream after traveling to the birthplace of Muay Thai, Thailand.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Takeru revealed that money was tight in his household growing up, and he had to work extra hard just to afford a plane ticket to train in Southeast Asia.

That investment certainly paid dividends for Takeru, who witnessed firsthand Thai fighters dedicating their life to the sport full-time and earning good money at the same time.

‘The Natural Born Crusher’ shared:

“The strength of those who were making this desperate effort for their living was amazing, and I was impressed. My mindset changed, and I thought I had to be motivated in the same way. It made me decide to focus more on martial arts.”

Takeru eventually returned to Japan and went on to become a multi-division K1 world champion.

The 32-year-old now has his eyes on taking home gold in the world’s largest martial arts organization by beating Superlek for his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title.

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru will air live on Sunday, January 28, from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

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Takeru turned his life around after falling in love with martial arts

While Takeru is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished athletes from Japan, he admits to being a delinquent in his younger days.

The Team Vasileus affiliate got into a lot of trouble before combat sports veered him to the right path.

Takeru shared in the same interview:

“I entered high school, and I started to enjoy hanging out with friends. But I started to do bad things with my friends and got expelled after about three months.”