“There is no match greater than this” – Takeru on cloud nine for the opportunity to headline ONE 165 against Superlek

K-1 kickboxing icon Takeru Segawa believes his ONE Championship debut on January 28 could be his final fight in Japan.

Signing with the promotion in April 2023, ‘The Natural Born Crusher’ will make his long-awaited debut in the ONE 165 headliner. Emanating from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Takeru will challenge Muay Thai legend and ONE fan favorite Superlek Kiatmoo9, with ‘The Kicking Machine’ putting his ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship on the line.

The former three-division K-1 titleholder will have the home-field advantage against Superlek, but it could be a bittersweet moment as it may be the last time Japanese fight fans have the chance to see Takeru compete live.

Of course, unless he does get another chance to star in Japan on a separate ONE card:

“This may be my last match in Japan, and if it turns out that way, I have switched my mindset to accept it, believing that there is no match greater than this.” he said in an interview with ONE Championship.

Originally, he was scheduled to square off with Rodtang in the evening’s main event, but ‘The Iron Man’ was forced to withdraw due to injury, paving the way for Superlek to step in and face perhaps the greatest pound-for-pound kickboxer in the history of the sport.

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Superlek is riding a massive wave of momentum going into his fight with Takeru

Superlek goes into the bout riding an incredible five-fight win streak, with all those victories coming in 2023.

Over the course of three weeks, ‘The Kicking Machine’ earned back-to-back KOs against newcomer Nabil Anane and Russian knockout artist Tagir Khalilov. He followed that up with a unanimous decision win over Rodtang in what many hailed as the greatest Muay Thai fight of the last 50 years.

And that’s not even counting his work in the world of kickboxing.

Superlek added two more wins in eight-ounce gloves, including a title-winning performance against Daniel Puertas and a successful ONE flyweight kickboxing title defense against Danial Williams.

Who comes out on top when Thailand meets Japan in one of the most anticipated kickboxing clashes in the history of the sport?

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru will be available via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.