Takeru Segawa says last fight was all about building his brand ahead of ONE Championship debut

Debuts don’t come much bigger than Takeru Segawa stepping inside the Circle to compete in ONE Championship for the very first time.

For years and years, fans have dreamed of seeing the Japanese kickboxing icon square off with some of the very best strikers under the ONE banner with concerns that it may never happen.

Earlier this year, the stars finally aligned with the 31-year old signing with the promotion to set up some dream fights with the biggest names in combat sports.

Immediately talks turned to his debut and who the star should face during his first appearance inside the Circle, with a whole host of great options on the table.

For Takeru himself, a big source of motivation behind this career move is to compete in front of new audiences and announce himself to fans all over the world.

Whilst he may be one of the biggest names in Japan thanks to his incredible career, he is looking forward to putting on a show for fans that have never seen him compete before.

In his last fight before making his ONE debut, he competed in Paris, France and recently reflected on the experience as a contest that made him fall in love with competing all over again.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Takeru spoke about gaining this extra motivation from this fight and carrying it into his new home.

“[My goal in that fight was] to make people who don't know me passionate about my fights. Even though words don't convey, being able to excite the audience in that environment feels genuine to me. I was really happy.”