ONE 165: Superlek outlasts Takeru in kickboxing battle for the ages, Tonon takes big step towards title shot
- Thai fighter Superlek Kiatmoo9 holds on to successfully defend flyweight title against ONE Championship debutant Takeru Segawa
- Garry Tonon takes down Martin Nguyen, while John Lineker fights as last-minute replacement for Sage Northcutt
Superlek Kiatmoo9 successfully defended his flyweight title at ONE 165 on Sunday, in a kickboxing battle for the ages against Takeru Segawa.
Making his ONE Championship debut in front of his home fans at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Takeru endured a torrid start to his night.
Superlek repeatedly snapped his head back with jabs and followed up with low kicks with the swelling on the Japanese fighter’s left thigh already visible.
The Japanese fighter was taking sustained damage but managed to land a left hook at the start of the second, and picked up the pace towards the end of the round, with Superlek doing his best Mohammed Ali impression in the corner as the bell sounded, slipping punch after punch in the boxer’s patented rope-a-dope style.
At this stage the Thai fighter looked firmly in control, but momentum shifted in the third round as Takeru started to unload with hooks to the body. Superlek was covering up and looked badly hurt, but stayed on his feet and managed to make it to the end of the round.
Despite Takeru being in the ascendancy, Superlek started to score with jabs and low kicks at the start of the fourth round. The Japanese fighter landed a couple of kicks to the body, but his opponent countered with a solid knee to the midsection.
