Takeru Segawa deconstructs his monstrous KO in Paris

Takeru Segawa is one of the best strikers on the planet. As such, the martial arts community is eager to see how he’d fare against some similarly skilled stand-up warriors in ONE Championship.

The three-division K-1 world champion clearly wants a matchup against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon to kickstart his promotional tenure, a battle that has the implications of ‘fight of the year’ written all over it.

Before that comes to fruition, his dance partner has to agree to the offer, which, as things stand, doesn’t seem like it’ll happen so soon after Rodtang sounded him off on Instagram to "get some wins in ONE first."

Still, Takeru remains motivated to push himself to the top of the ONE Championship roster. And his most recent win before he officially started his tenure with the Singapore-based organization is a clear sign that he means business.

The 31-year-old nicknamed ‘Natural Born Crusher’ – quite literally – crushed his most recent opponent, Bailey Sugden, in Paris last month.

After stalking his opposite number with punches in bunches, the Yonago native connected with a cannonball of a left kick to seal the deal at 2:58 of the fifth and final round.

Breaking down his highlight-reel finish, he told ONE Championship:

“During the fight, I believed that I would definitely win by decision, but I fought with the intention of going for a KO until the end. That's what led to the result. The left kick was also something I had practiced.”

Widely considered a generational talent, Takeru will bring the same energy and attacking artillery when he debuts on the global stage of ONE, whether against Rodtang or not.