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Superlek Kiatmoo9 proved a lot with his win over kickboxing icon Takeru Segawa in the main event of ONE 165.
If there were any doubts as to whether the ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion is one of the very best in the world, his latest title defense left no room for such a discussion.
On top of his incredible offence in the fight, ‘The Kicking Machine’ also proved that he has the heart of a champion by weathering a tough third-round response from his opponent.
World champions can dig deep, keep themselves in the fight, and then come out on top. Needless to say, that’s exactly what he did at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, this past weekend.
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The third-round flurry from Takeru is sure to be one of the biggest “what ifs” in ONE Championship history, with fans’ jaws hitting the floor when the champion made it back to his corner for round four.
Superlek spoke about that round and what was going through his head as it played out during his post-fight interview with Sportskeeda MMA:
“It's just fighting with pure grit now. I got that dog in me. And I was just grinding my way to the fourth round and just made it to the fourth round to just to fight two more rounds to get the win.”
Watch the full post-fight interview below:
You couldn’t ask for any more from Superlek at ONE 165
When Rodtang Jitmuangon pulled out of the fight and Superlek stepped in, fans called it the perfect replacement, and that’s exactly how things played out on fight night.
‘The Kicking Machine’ delivered what is sure to be one of the most iconic performances of the year, whilst displaying that he also has durability and toughness to go with his elite technique.
2024 is already off to an incredible start for the ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion, and it will take some feat to knock him off the top spot anytime soon.
Fans who missed out on any of the action from ONE 165 can watch the event back via the on-demand PPV on ONE Championship’s website.
ONE Championship’s next huge event is coming at fans thick and fast, with ONE Fight Night 19 scheduled for February 16. The event will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.
