Takeru Segawa isn’t counting on getting to his goal of being the undisputed best flyweight in the world if he drops his next fight in ONE Championship.
The Japanese megastar returns to the ONE Championship stage to test the mettle of the young and hungry Thant Zin in a three-round kickboxing bout at the loaded ONE Friday Fights 81 event on September 27 from inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Long considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, Takeru ran into a brick wall when he faced ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9. The Thai chopped down on his leg for much of their three-round fight earlier this year, sidelining him until only recently.
With a chance to get back on the saddle and reiterate his intentions of being the best in the organization, Takeru knows that his back is up against a wall.
“I joined ONE to aim for being the strongest in the world, so I really want this win. To fight at the top, I absolutely can’t lose two in a row after losing the last one,” he said.
“I need to keep showing that I’m worthy of being a ONE World Champion until I get there, so I will definitely win this next fight.”
He’ll have his hands full against Thant, who’s looking to catch a big fish after two scintillating finishes at Lumpinee Stadium.
That said, Takeru will try to use the Burmese fighter’s aggression against himself to get the emphatic finish and kickstart his hunt for ONE gold anew.
“He’s the type to throw full-swing punches with a lot of power in single shots. Being from lethwei, he has physical strength and throws each punch with a clenched fist, so I need to be cautious of that,” he said.
“He’s a young fighter, so he’ll have momentum. I’ll be careful of that while sticking to my own fighting style. Since he’s an aggressive type, I want to win by KO.”
With his eyes firmly on ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Takeru knows that he not only needs to win, he has to do so in the most explosive way possible.
“There’s no next if I don’t win. That’s what I’ve always thought. I came to ONE to fight Rodtang and prove I’m the strongest in the world by beating him, so I need to win this fight to get there,” he said.
“I need to win in a way that’s worthy of that goal.”
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