“The champ is still in Thailand” - Superlek expresses gratitude in massive victory over Takeru after Tokyo super fight

Fan support can push a fighter beyond their limits ahead of the most intense battles, and it was something that Superlek Kiatmoo9 relied upon heavily prior to his big match with Takeru Segawa at ONE 165.

The event marked the long-awaited debut of ‘The Natural Born Crusher’ and it was as close to a fairytale as it could be as they fought inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

With the overwhelming crowd support on his side, Takeru was eager to put on a show for his fellow countrymen, with him looking to take Superlek’s ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship.

However, Superlek was powered by his own dedicated country of supporters back in Thailand and he put on a showcase of a lifetime by dissecting Takeru repeatedly.

‘The Kicking Machine’ successfully retained his spot atop the ONE flyweight kickboxing division with a non-stop barrage for the full 15 minutes.

Superlek took time to thank his most ardent fans on Instagram, showing immense gratitude for their support:

“Thank you all for cheering me up. Thank you for the strength today. The champ is still in Thailand. Thank you for all the support. Thank you very much”

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What was Superlek’s game plan against Takeru?

The Thai star and his camp fully knew that Takeru would want to push the action to unthinkable levels, so they made sure that Superlek was controlling the fight to a much slower, more methodical pace while avoiding Takeru’s big punches.

His emphasis on leg kicks turned out to be their grand plan and Superlek executed it to perfection throughout the bout.

Superlek is already an established combat sports legend and with this big victory, his legacy is that much more impossible to deny its place in history.