“Save someone by fighting” - Japanese megastar Takeru pitches in for Thant Zin’s donation to the survivors of Myanmar floods

Takeru Segawa proved he's a class act inside and outside the ring.

The Japanese kickboxing megastar decided to pitch for his opponent Thant Zin's donation drive for the benefit of the survivors of the recent flooding in Myanmar.

Taking to Instagram, Takeru revealed he donated part of his fight purse for his ONE Friday Fights 81 match against Thant Zin to help those left in the wake after Typhoon Yagi swept across Myanmar in September.

Takeru Segawa wrote martial artists often serve as beacons of inspiration for the people and wanted to do more than motivate the viewing public with his fights on ONE Championship's global stage.

"You can save someone by fighting. That's what it means to fight with your life on the line. That image can become someone's hope for life. I think martial arts has that kind of power."

He added:

"I hope the martial arts world continues to be like that. With the prize money that the opponent Thant Zin won before the match. I had heard that they wanted to help with flood damage recovery in their home country of Myanmar I donated some of my fight money. Big respect for Thant Zin who fights for his family and his country."

Thant Zin previously announced that he fought Takeru at ONE Friday Fights 81 to help the typhoon's survivors.

After learning of the rising star's gesture, Takeru decided to share part of his purse for the relief efforts in Myanmar.

Takeru, the only fighter to capture the K-1 Kickboxing world title in three divisions, captured his first win in ONE Championship when he knocked Thant Zin out in the second round of their flyweight kickboxing fight at Lumpinee Stadium.

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Takeru Segawa admits early knockdown against Thant Zin motivated him to get the finish

Takeru Segawa holds a mythical presence in the kickboxing space, and getting knocked down seemed almost impossible to many.

That episode, however, made it to reality when Thant Zin floored Takeru in the first round of their flyweight kickboxing matchup at ONE Friday Fights 81.

Takeru said in his post-fight interview that the knockdown triggered something within him and made him hunt for the knockout blow:

"It’s been a while since I’ve been knocked down, and in my head, it was just like, ‘I had to attack back.’ Also, I had some worries that I might lose this fight but I got to be very calm and took it back in the second round."

Takeru ultimately found his finish when he first folded Thant Zin with a gutting body kick before ending the fight with a nasty flurry upstairs.