ONE 165: Takeru Segawa Aims To Capture ONE Kickboxing World Title From Superlek

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From a young age, Takeru Segawa always had a love for martial arts. But "The Natural Born Crusher's" path wasn't always pointing to kickboxing superstardom. Martial arts was his first passion and he did indeed chase it. However, his path to greatness veered off in his younger years.

The Japanese sensation eventually steered back on track, which now leads him to the biggest battle of his career against ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 in his promotional debut at ONE 165 on Sunday, 28 January.

If the kickboxing legend scores a dominant victory at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, later this month over the Thai superstar, Takeru could accomplish what he's always thought about.

"I had always dreamed of becoming a Kickboxing Champion when I was a child. I was watching K-1 on TV, and I saw a lot of karate practitioners, and I admired them. I thought if I did karate, maybe I could enter K-1," Takeru said.

"I always wanted to do kickboxing, but there were no kickboxing gyms in the neighborhood when I was a kid, so I started karate when I was in second grade."

Takeru's thirst for technique turned him into a sponge, absorbing all he could about karate and kickboxing. The indelible skills that he displays today were always prevalent early on. But Takeru began to hinder his own progress after getting expelled from school.

After being at his lowest point, that's when the Japanese superstar had a come-to-Jesus-moment. He knew that, in order to have a better life, succeeding in martial arts was his only choice. And that meant shipping himself off to Thailand to hone his craft among the best.

"I was expelled from school, and there was nothing left for me to do. During that time, I didn't do martial arts, and I was just fooling around, but because I couldn't go to high school, I felt I had no option but to succeed in martial arts, so I made up my mind," Takeru said.

"I saved all the money myself to go to Thailand. My mother was kind of strict. Since I was a kid, I was told that if I had something I wanted to do, I had to do it on my own - otherwise, it meant nothing."

On Sunday, 28 January, Takeru will make his long-awaited promotional debut in ONE Championship on home turf in Tokyo, Japan. For "The Natural Born Crusher," it's an inevitable arrival. Takeru believes ONE is the ultimate destination for the world's best strikers.

The Japanese star has excelled wherever his career has taken him. He's won World Titles in three separate divisions in K-1. He's a bonafide superstar. But winning the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title from Superlek is a feat he relishes most.

"Of course, becoming the World Champion in ONE is the thing I've been aiming for. I want to win and dedicate it to all the fans who have supported me all those years," Takeru said.