Takeru says lessons from Superlek fight came in handy for victorious outing vs Thant Zin: “I applied that experience”

K-1 kickboxing legend Takeru Segawa learned a lot from his loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Making his promotional debut in January at ONE 165, 'The Natural Born Crusher' went toe-to-toe with Superlek for five incredible rounds but ultimately came up short against the two-sport ONE world champion.

Eight months later, Takeru looked to parlay the lessons he learned against 'The Kicking Machine' into a win over Burmese knockout artist Thant Zin at ONE Friday Fights 81 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok—and that's exactly what he did.

After surviving an early knockdown, Takeru stormed back in the second round to add another highlight-reel finish to his resume.

Looking back on his big win inside the Mecca of Muay Thai during a conversation with ONE Championship, Takeru revealed that the horrific leg injury and subsequent recovery he endured following his fight with Superlek proved to be an invaluable experience against the Myanmar star:

"From my previous fight, my knee bone was broken and also I had some leg muscle tears. To recover from my injury, it was very hard for me. But I’ve learned some very good experience from that and I applied that experience in this fight."

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Takeru excited to unveil new and improved version of himself

Elaborating on his comment, Takeru revealed that for the first time in his career, he changed up his training and feels that a new and improved version of himself is on the horizon:

"This time, for the first time, I changed my practice method and conditioning in various ways. A match fought by the new Takeru. There are still a lot of things to fix, but I'm getting a good feel for it".

"I will improve this new style for the next fight. I will definitely win next time. Thank you for all your support and encouragement!"

Though no official announcements have been made, all signs point toward Takeru's next matchup coming against one of the greatest P4P strikers on the planet—Rodtang Jitmuangnon. The two combat sports icons went face-to-face in a viral staredown at ONE Friday Fights 81 that had everyone buzzing.

If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Friday Fights 81 replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.