‘I Had To Adapt And Survive’ – Superlek Reflects On Epic Win Over Takeru At ONE 165
“The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 cemented his status as one of the greatest pound-for-pound strikers on the planet with another massive victory at ONE 165.
This past Sunday, the Thai icon defeated Takeru “The Natural Born Crusher” Segawa by unanimous decision to retain his ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
“The Kicking Machine” lived up to his nickname with a wince-inducing attack on the home favorite’s lead leg, but Takeru kept coming forward for five thrilling rounds.
In the end, there was little doubt that Superlek would get the nod, but he gained a huge amount of respect for the Japanese superstar over the course of their battle.
The 28-year-old spoke to onefc.com after his victory:
“There was no surprise [about what Takeru displayed today]. That’s why he’s one of the top fighters in the world. I thought that I was a heavy hitter, but I could not take him down. I could not drop him at all. He just kept coming right at me.”
By the end of the match, Takeru’s leg was badly damaged by Superlek’s low kicks. Many lesser fighters would not have made it through, but “The Natural Born Crusher” showed incredible heart until the final bell.
However, that resilience wasn’t the only thing keeping him in the battle. Superlek noticed some subtle tactics from his foe that made the contest more difficult than he’d anticipated, and he believes his rival’s fight IQ was just as important.
The flyweight kickboxing king explained:
“I believe that my leg kick definitely had some effect on Takeru, but I must say that he did his homework very well. I had been studying with the team how to knock him down. One of the things was that every time Takeru came in and tried to throw left hook and right hook, I planned to do a high kick.
“And then in the match, everything was so different. Takeru had been preparing himself very well to block my counter-attacks, so I had to adapt and survive in the ring as well.”
Superlek Eyeing ‘New Challenges’ At Bantamweight
Although Superlek Kiatmoo9 earned a clear victory after five rounds, there were some tense moments for the defending ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion.
Round three was particularly dramatic, as Takeru Segawa went on the offensive with a massive barrage of punches that had “The Kicking Machine” barely staying on his feet.
For his part, Superlek admits that he was rocked by the Japanese slugger, and he knows there are always improvements to be made if he wants to remain at the top:
“In terms of what happened during the fight, I thought that I didn’t perform 100 percent like I wanted to. I feel like there were many opportunities where I could have struck better, and definitely, there was one part where Takeru landed his fists on my face and I was quite dizzy.
“It was at the end of the third round. I took that shot from Takeru, and my body literally froze. The only thing I thought in my head was, ‘I must have fighting spirit. I must do whatever it takes to survive the third round and continue fighting to the fourth round.’
“I’m glad that everything turned out okay.”
In his last two bouts, Superlek has shown skill and will in equal measure to defeat the next best flyweight kickboxer on the planet in Takeru and beat longtime ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon.
He’d be happy to rematch either man, but he also wants to test himself against the bantamweight elite, which could include reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty.
“The Kicking Machine” added:
“For me, going up to bantamweight would be a very good thing because I want new challenges in my life. I can still continue in the flyweight division, but going up to bantamweight is something I am very interested in as well.”
