ONE Friday Fights 81: Takeru Segawa developed new style to fit ONE’s fast pace: “I'm going to show the fans the new and evolved Takeru”

Japanese kickboxing legend Takeru Segawa touts an improved version of himself as a fighter when he treks back to ONE Championship action this week in Thailand.

'The Natural Born Crusher' will take on streaking Thant Zin of Myanmar in a flyweight kickboxing showdown at ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut on Sept. 27 at the famed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Speaking at the virtual press conference in line with his scheduled match against Thant Zin, Takeru shared that he worked on his game to customize it to the pace in ONE following his defeat at the hands of flyweight king Superlek Kiatmoo9 in his promotional debut back in January.

The 33-year-old Yonago City native said:

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"In the last fight I fought in ONE, I got a chance to learn about how to fight in ONE, how the rules go on, and I learned from that, and I applied that to my new strategy. And this time, I'm going to show the fans the new and evolved Takeru."

Check out what he had to say below:

In his ONE debut against Superlek, Takeru showcased the skills and toughness that made him a multi-time champion at K-1 in Japan. He fell short, however, losing by unanimous decision to 'The Kicking Machine' in their title clash.

Takeru hopes to redeem himself from the defeat at ONE Friday Fights 81 against Thant Zin, 19, who has been impressive since making his promotional debut in February, racking up two straight victories, both by knockout.

Fans in North America can catch the action at ONE Friday Fights 81 via global pay-per-view through watch.onefc.com. For more information on it, visit the ONE Championship website.

Takeru Segawa looking for explosive finish at ONE Friday Fights 81

Takeru Segawa is determined to nail a victory in his second outing in ONE Championship this week at ONE Friday Fights 81 and, if possible, wants it to be explosive by way of knockout.

He shared this in an interview with the South China Morning Post, in line with his three-round flyweight kickboxing clash on Sept. 27 against streaking Thant Zin of Myanmar, saying:

"I'm very glad to be back, and I'm very excited to fight at ONE Friday Fights this Friday. I [want to produce] a knockout in front of the fans."

The Takeru-Thant Zin match is part of the 12-fight offering ONE Friday Fights 81, which is headlined by the featherweight Muay Thai clash between Thai superstars Superbon and Jo Nattawut.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard