"Saw the samurai spirit" - Fans can't get enough of Takeru's dramatic KO of Thant Zin in front of Rodtang in Bangkok showcase

Japanese kickboxing megastar Takeru Segawa captured his first win in ONE Championship with a second-round knockout of Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81 in September 2024.

However, it was not all smooth sailing for 'The Natural Born Crusher'. Late in the first round, he suffered a shocking knockdown from the Burmese standout, which left Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who was in attendance, staring in awe.

Relive Takeru's come-from-behind knockout victory below, which ONE shared on Instagram:

Fans flocked to the comments section to discuss how Takeru overcame the odds versus Thant Zin:

"This fight was absolutely incredible. Takeru got a lot of respect in my books that day. I already admired him, but that day I saw the samurai spirit 🔥🔥🔥🔥"

"Just a honest mistake backing up in a straight line. Tons of fighters have been caught like that. Got to try to circle out or cut a different angle. I know for a fact it's easier said than done."

"This was an amazing match, both fighters highly skilled, Thant Zin proved he could put up a fight against a seasoned veteran in his first kickboxing match, while Takeru showed the world once again his pedigree. 🔥🔥🔥"

"A literal samurai!"

Screenshot of fans' comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]

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Takeru believes he and Rodtang were destined to fight

Takeru and Rodtang will finally lock horns in a flyweight kickboxing bout at ONE 172 on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. They were initially scheduled to compete at ONE 165 in January 2024. Unfortunately, Rodtang pulled out due to injury.

During the ONE 172 press conference, Takeru bared his thoughts on still having the chance to fight Rodtang despite previous circumstances:

"I'm very happy to finally fight Rodtang. He had injuries and our fight was postponed, but this match happening now means it was destiny."