Takeru: WATCH: Japanese icon Takeru Segawa unleashes his unbreakable will in insane comeback performance in Bangkok

There has been no shortage of unforgettable come-from-behind victories throughout ONE Championship's history, and kickboxing great Takeru Segawa provided one of the best at ONE Friday Fights 81 in September 2024. The Japanese icon sought to earn his first ONE Championship win at the expense of Burmese standout Thant Zin.

The elite strikers started cautiously, but late in the first round, Thant Zin shocked the world when he dropped 'Natural Born Krusher' with a meteoric left hand. Takeru eventually got to his feet and continued to engage until the bell rang.

Midway through the second round, Takeru worked his combinations to get himself back in the fight. His efforts bore fruit when he dropped the 20-year-old with his patented front kick to the body. Though he beat the count, the 33-year-old unleashed everything he had left to get the knockout.

Check out the comeback win below, which ONE posted on Instagram:

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Takeru's inspiring victory led to a heated faceoff with former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon during the post-fight interview with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson.

They were supposed to duke it out in January 2024, but 'The Iron Man' pulled out after suffering an injury in training camp.

Takeru, Rodtang megafight happened at ONE 172 in March

After many months of waiting, fans finally saw Takeru battle Rodtang in a flyweight kickboxing bout at ONE 172 this past March. The Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, hosted the event.

With a raucous crowd cheering on the Team Vasileus founder, many believed he would pull off the upset and hand Rodtang only his third defeat in ONE.

However, Takeru's slugger style fared badly against Rodtang's world-famous ability to absorb strikes and dish it out ten times harder. The Jitmuangnon Gym star had little trouble walking him down, ultimately capturing the knockout win at the 1:20 mark of the first round.

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi