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Takeru Segawa may not be facing his originally scheduled opponent at ONE 165 but he has still drawn an incredibly deserving foe for his ONE Championship debut.
In the promotion’s return to Japan on January 28, the ONE flyweight kickboxing world championship will be on the line in the main event.
The divisional king, Superlek Kiatmoo9, may not have the same kind of crossover star appeal of Rodtang Jitmuangnon, but he makes up for that with his massive amounts of credibility as one of the best in the world.
With a change of opponent also brings a change of styles for the Japanese kickboxer to prepare for.
As seen at ONE Friday Fights 34 last year when they went head to head, both Rodtang and Superlek are the best of the best but they excel in different areas.
They don’t call Superlek ‘The Kicking Machine’ for nothing, and that is something Takeru is paying specific attention to ahead of fight night:
“He has been fighting in Muay Thai for a long time, possessing Muay Thai techniques and strong kicks. In terms of the match content, I believe it will be a battle between my punches and Superlek's kicks.”
Takeru versus Superlek is about as good as replacement fights get
There is no doubt that the hype going into Takeru versus Rodtang would have been huge, with the fight delivering an iconic moment that fans thought they would never see.
That being said, one of the huge benefits in the former K-1 star competing under the ONE Championship banner is that when one elite striker pulls out of the contest due to injury, there is another on deck waiting to step up to the plate.
Superlek will undoubtedly have had his eyes on his upcoming opponent for a long time, and off the back of his victory over Rodtang in September, he will be full of confidence.
With the flyweight kickboxing title on the line, this main event remains unmissable.
ONE 165 will air live on January 28 via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.
