Takeru Segawa suggests ‘revenge’ ultimately led to his defeat against Tenshin Nasukawa

As a lifelong martial artist and one of the leading kickboxing stars in the world, Takeru Segawa has spent his entire life learning the ins and outs of martial arts. But despite years of experience, the ONE Championship athlete admits that he still has plenty of areas to improve and discover in his professional career.

One of his most recent on-hand learning experiences came during his hotly anticipated clash against fellow Japanese superstar Tenshin Nasukawa in June last year.

Riding on a 36-fight winning streak, the 31-year-old admits he entered the battle to seek some form of revenge. It’s easy to understand why, as both men have long been in a healthy battle between themselves to determine the generational talent of Japan.

Ultimately, he believes focusing on that negative trait might have cost him a win.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Takeru pointed out:

“The main reason is that I lost to Tenshin in my previous fight, and I had a desire for some kind of revenge. But now, Tenshin is doing well in a different area now. Actually, it's not revenge in the same form, but as long as I am a martial artist, I cannot accept ending up with a loss to someone.”

Since that loss, Takeru has worked on building his overall approach to a fight, trying his best to steer away from the bad and focus on a more positive mindset.

It has turned out pretty well for him as he returned to winning ways with a head-kick KO in Paris, France.

He hopes to continue reaping the rewards of his new mindset when he goes on to make his ONE Championship debut soon.