ONE Friday Fights 81: Takeru Segawa Vs. Black Panther Booked For September Showdown

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ONE Friday Fights 81 will be ONE Championhip's next tentpole event in the weekly series in Bangkok, Thailand, and a combustible kickboxing bout will feature at the event on Friday, 27 September.

The iconic Lumpinee Stadium will host the exciting return of Japanese superstar and number-two ranked flyweight kickboxer Takeru Segawa when he collides with dangerous Thai striker Black Panther in flyweight kickboxing action.

ONE Friday Fights 81 will mark Takeru's second outing in the promotion following his memorable debut against ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 165 this past January in Tokyo, Japan.

"The Natural Born Crusher" went five grueling rounds with the Thai king, living up to his hype as one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet. But after it was all said and done in his own backyard, Takeru just missed out on the gold by decision.

Takeru has been touted as one of the best strikers in the world, but he doesn't want ONE 165 to be his defining moment in ONE. Instead, he's eager to avenge the setback. And he knows the way to do so is by putting on a clinical performance this September.

But for Black Panther, ONE Friday Fights 81 offers an opportunity to capture the biggest scalp of his career in Takeru, and his recent surge will have given him the confidence to believe he can do just that.

The Thai striker rides a three-fight winning streak in the promotion, with his last showing against Ali Saldoev at ONE Fight Night 23 being his best yet after knocking his foe out in the second frame.

When you're winning, the tests only get bigger, and coming from a gym like Team Mehdi Zatout, challenges are exactly what Black Panther wants. If he can upset a striking legend in Takeru, the 31-year-old will surely leapfrog the competition and put himself among the greats of flyweight kickboxing.

ONE's final quarter of 2024 will be explosive with more bouts set to be added to ONE Friday Fights 81. On top of that, the world's largest martial arts organization will return to the U.S. for ONE 168: Denver on 8 September and ONE 169: Atlanta on 9 November.