Takeru Vs. Thant Zin: 4 Keys To Victory In The Kickboxing Clash At ONE Friday Fights 81

At ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut, Japanese megastar Takeru “The Natural Born Crusher” Segawa will return for his second appearance in ONE to take on young Burmese phenom Thant Zin. The two figure in a pivotal flyweight kickboxing bout at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

That showdown will take place on September 27 in Asia primetime and carries high stakes for both fighters.

For Thant Zin, this contest marks the biggest opportunity of his career. A victory over a global icon like Takeru would rocket him up the flyweight kickboxing ranks and turn him into an overnight sensation.

The Japanese fighter, meanwhile, knows that a win here is critical to maintaining his spot as the #2-ranked flyweight kickboxing contender and keep his hopes of a rematch with reigning titleholder “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 alive.

Ahead of this intriguing clash between two of the planet’s most electrifying strikers, we dive into each man’s keys to victory.

#1 Thant Zin’s Fast Starts

Boasting an absurd 92 percent career finishing rate that includes a pair of highlight-reel stoppages in ONE, Thant Zin is a prolific and terrifying knockout artist.

Of course, the 19-year-old is shooting for the finish each and every time he steps into the ring, but against a decorated and savvy veteran like “The Natural Born Crusher,” it’s imperative that he puts his foot on the gas early in pursuit of a quick knockout.

The longer the fight goes on, the more information Takeru will be able to gather and, eventually, exploit his young opponent’s weaknesses. With that in mind, Thant Zin should do what he does best: come out guns blazing, force the Japanese star on the back foot, and chase what would be a career-defining knockout.

#2 Takeru’s Dynamic Lead Leg

With his background in Karate, one of Takeru’s best and perhaps most underrated weapons is his dynamic and unpredictable lead-leg kicks.

Whether he’s punishing his foe with a front snap kick to the body, threatening the knockout with a head kick, or pulverizing the leg with a low kick, the 33-year-old can do it all with his lead leg. What’s more, he can throw this wide variety of strikes with practically no telegraphing and always with blazing speed.

When Takeru faces the hard-charging Burmese fighter, look for “The Natural Born Crusher” to employ a bevy of different lead-leg strikes to keep his opponent guessing.

#3 Thant Zin’s Thunderous Leg Kicks

While he’s a well-rounded striker with skills in all areas of kickboxing, the foundation of Thant Zin’s game is his massive low kick. In both of his appearances at ONE Friday Fights, he employed bone-crushing leg kicks to cripple his opponents before finding the knockout with his hands.

The Burmese rising star should be careful to set his leg kicks up with punches first, but if he can find a home for these punishing strikes against “The Natural Born Crusher,” he could slow his Japanese foe’s speedy movement and be well on his way to scoring the upset.

Indeed, Takeru revealed a glaring weakness against the low kick in his grueling, hard-fought decision loss to Superlek at ONE 165 in January. Thant Zin has surely studied that fight and will likely look to attack with his trademark leg kicks early and often.

#4 Takeru’s Venomous Counter-Striking

Takeru might be the division’s fastest athlete, and that speed will be put to good use in situations where he can utilize his lightning quick counter-strikes against the ultra-aggressive teenager.

The Japanese kickboxing icon is plenty capable of fighting on either his front or back foot, but against a fearless pressure fighter like Thant Zin, watch for Takeru to let his opponent move forward into pinpoint accurate counters.

Because he’s just as dangerous with his hands as he is with his feet, “The Natural Born Crusher” can land strikes from a wide variety of positions and on a moment’s notice. He’ll undoubtedly try to take advantage of the Burmese phenom’s all-out aggression and look for the fight-ending shot with one of these big counter-strikes.