ONE Championship: Takeru Segawa says ‘power of the fans’ will continue making martial arts ‘thrive’

When you have accomplished as much as Takeru Segawa has, it may be difficult to find the motivation to hunt down new challenges. His love for competition got a breath of fresh air during his last fight, where he stepped outside of his comfort zone after building himself into a huge name in his native Japan.

Competing in Paris, France, in front of a whole new crowd that had not seen him compete brought the love for the sport back to the 31-year-old. As he prepares to make his hotly-anticipated debut in ONE Championship after signing with the promotion earlier this year, the former K-1 three-division world champion is excited to experience so many things for the first time.

Performing for crowds that haven’t had the chance to watch him in the flesh before, facing off with new challengers, and stepping inside the Circle for the very first time, has restored Takeru’s drive and passion for martial arts.

In an interview with ONE Championship, he spoke about the fans lifting the martial arts world up and how with their support, the entire scene can thrive worldwide:

“To make this industry thrive, we need the power of the fans. Let's create a martial arts world that can be elevated with the strength of everyone.”

Whilst dates, locations and potential opponents are still unknown at this time, there can be no doubt that the fans are in for a treat when Takeru makes the walk for the very first time under the ONE Championship banner.