Superlek admits he fought with a chip on his shoulder vs. Takeru: “Some people thought I could get knocked out”

'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 had something to prove when he welcomed Japanese kickboxing legend Takeru Segawa to martial arts' biggest global stage.

In January 2024, ONE Championship returned to Tokyo, Japan for a stacked ONE 165 card. It was headlined by a ONE flyweight kickboxing world title clash between Superlek, the defending champion, and Takeru, a former three-division K-1 titleholder.

Though 'The Kicking Machine' went into the bout carrying all the gold, it was Takeru who many favored to come out on top in spectacular fashion.

That admittedly left him with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove:

"Some people thought I could get knocked out," Superlek said during a recent interview with Nickynachat. "They thought Takeru could have knocked me out. But I studied him so much, and I knew when I was going to match up with him, I was very confident. I wanted to prove something."

See the full interview below:

Of course, the Thai megastar came out on top, securing a unanimous decision victory over 'The Natural Born Crusher' in what would become one of his most impressive performances under the ONE Championship banner.

Since then, 'The Kicking Machine' has become a two-division ONE world champion, claiming the undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world tile in September via a quick-fire KO against Jonathan Haggerty.

Next, he'll put that 26 pounds of gold on the line in one of the most anticipated rematches of 2025.

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Superlek and Nabil Anane world title unification war set for Saitama Super Arena

On Sunday, March 23, Superlek steps back into the Circle for a title unification clash with ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world titleholder Nabil Anane.

The 6'4" Algerian-Thai sensation claimed his first ONE world title at ONE 170 with a stunning first-round knockout of Nico Carrillo, setting the stage for a long-awaited rematch with Superlek at ONE 172 inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

In their first meeting at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023 — which also served as Anane's promotional debut — 'The Kicking Machine' came out on top with an impressive finish just past the two-minute mark of the opening round.

Since then, Anane has won six straight and is primed to even the series with the Kiatmoo9 Gym megastar and claim his first undisputed world title.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.