Takeru Segawa fulfills promise to Japanese fans to bring home a world title

Takeru Segawa was proud to bring another world title back to Japan.

On June 24, Takeru returned for his first fight since signing with ONE Championship. The Japanese superstar is yet to make his ONE debut, but he did extend his legendary resume with another world title in a different promotion.

The 31-year-old took on Bailey ‘Bad Boy’ Sugden at MTGP Impact in Paris. The two elite strikers were competing for the vacant ISKA and KGP K-1 lightweight world titles, which ended up going home with Takeru.

With only seconds left in the world title fight, the Japanese superstar landed a shocking head-kick knockout. Takeru posted several photos of his post-fight celebration on Instagram with the caption saying:

“First victory in almost two years. To the fans and comrades that believe in and follow Glad to see another win.Thank you so much for all the support! Belt back to Japan as promised”

Takeru Segawa’s win last Saturday was his first since March 2021. The 31-year-old has fought in two no-contest exhibition bouts and suffered a razor-thin loss in a super-fight against Tenshin Nasukawa. Takeru will now likely focus on becoming a world champion in ONE Championship.

Most fans, fighters, and personnel in ONE want to see the Japanese superstar fight the legendary Rodtang Jitmuangnon. Both fighters have continued to exchange words on social media and during interviews, adding to the excitement of the must-see matchup.

Takeru Segawa recently announced he is prioritizing the potential fight against Rodtang. Meanwhile, ‘The Iron Man’ told the Japanese superstar to get some wins in ONE before calling him out. Only time will tell when the inevitable battle is officially scheduled.