Takeru reveals he trained to weather adversity in preparation for dangerous Thant Zin: "I had that mindset"

Takeru Segawa demonstrated his heart and toughness once again during his second appearance under the ONE Championship banner.

The elite kickboxer was forced to overcome some serious adversity in his bout with Thant Zin this past weekend at ONE Friday Fights 81.

After his previous opponent Black Panther had withdrawn, Takeru received a new opponent for Sept. 27.

The Japanese star knew that his replacement was going to bring the heat and was even prepared to get caught in the opening round.

He was dropped in the first stanza but was able to recover and bounce back in the second to find the finish.

Though he would have preferred to have taken less damage, this fight did allow him to showcase his toughness, mentality, and finishing instinct.

In his post-event interview, 'The Natural Born Crusher' spoke about how he was well prepared for this situation:

"The preparation wasn't related that much, it's more about the setting of the game like after I got knocked down, I had to fight like this. I had that mindset, so that's how I finished the fight."

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Takeru came through the fire at ONE Friday Fights 81

A lethwei style fighter like Thant Zin was never going to let Takeru play his game without any attempts to spoil the party.

His aggression and heavy hands caused some issues for the former K-1 world champion in the early stages.

However, once Thant Zin was hurt for the first time in the second round, it was only a matter of time before the referee stepped in.

Takeru was never going to let his man off the hook. So, when he went down the second time, you knew that he was going to stay down.

It was another incredible fight from the Japanese star who earned his first win.

The replay of ONE Friday Fights 91 is available at watch.onefc.com for those who purchased the PPV.