“To prove that I am the strongest in the world” – Takeru on his goal in megafight against Superlek at ONE 165 

Takeru Segawa knows he will be thrown straight into the fire pit when he makes his hotly anticipated ONE Championship debut, but it’s an all too familiar scene for the Japanese kickboxing sensation.

The three-division K-1 world champion opens his account against Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the main event of ONE 165 on January 28, with ‘The Kicking Machine’s' gold on offer inside the Ariake Arena.

‘The Natural Born Crusher’ had a switch of opponents after Rodtang Jitmuangnon withdrew from the scheduled super fight due to injury. But his fire is burning brighter at the prospect of going toe-to-toe with the man who defeated ‘The Iron Man’ last year.

He had this to say at the ONE 165 press conference in Tokyo, Japan:

“I consider ONE to be the best in the world, so by defeating their champion, I want to prove that I am the strongest in the world. I will definitely win.”

To beat the best, the 32-year-old striking dynamo knows he cannot leave any stone unturned. He looks to be at the peak of his powers just two weeks ahead of his megafight against the Thai superstar.

Takeru heads into this clash off a highlight-reel head kick knockout versus British slugger Bailey Sugden in Paris, France, and he hopes to reap another fairytale ending on his way to another world title in his promotional bow on the stacked ONE 165 bill.

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Takeru’s punch-kick combinations could unsettle Superlek

There isn’t a more difficult path for Takeru to begin his tenure under the ONE spotlight than Superlek, a martial artist who’s been on a tear over the past two years.

‘The Kicking Machine’ has practically looked invincible as he racked up ONE gold and several high-profile wins over Rodtang, Danial Williams, Panpayak Jitmuangnon, and Nabil Anane, across Muay Thai and kickboxing.

But Takeru’s ability to blast away with snappy front kicks and heavy boxing combinations could be something that might force the Kiatmoo9 Gym product to restrategize if he finds it difficult to leave any damage in Tokyo, Japan.

If he can bit early and shift into fifth gear from the earlygoings, there could very well be a new ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion when the massive card comes to an end.

ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.