Takeru reflects on ONE 173 victory: “I returned to my old self”

Redemption tastes sweeter on home soil. Takeru Segawa discovered this truth Sunday night, delivering the statement performance he desperately needed after two setbacks threatened his legendary career.

The 34-year-old Japanese superstar stopped Denis Puric in the second round at ONE 173 on Saturday, November 16, inside Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The former three-division K-1 Champion scored four knockdowns across the entire fight, marking his first victory in his homeland under the ONE Championship banner.

The performance carried more weight than usual. Takeru made major adjustments heading into camp after reviewing his recent performances, and the revamped approach resulted in a bonus-winning showcase that reminded everyone why he earned “Natural Born Krusher” as his nickname.

The victory arrived at a crossroads moment. After falling to Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 165 and suffering an 80-second stoppage loss to Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE 172, both defeats happening in Japan intensified his internal pressure and sparked retirement discussions.

“I really switched up my training for this camp. I looked at my old fight and I changed my style to a really specific style tailored to ONE Championship. Looking back at my old fights, I feel like I returned to my old self,” he said.

Takeru Segawa embraces potential Rodtang Jitmuangnon rematch at ONE 175

Takeru Segawa acknowledged that consecutive losses on home soil forced him to consider stepping away from competition. The Japanese legend had always set personal standards that demanded excellence, creating pressure that mounted with each setback. But walking away without proving he could still perform at his expected level didn’t sit right with him.

The transition to ONE Championship presented challenges for someone who dominated K-1 for nearly a decade. His historic three-division championship run established him as one of the biggest striking superstars to emerge from Japan, known for speed, clean shot selection, and overwhelming pressure.

One reason he joined ONE involved testing himself against the world’s greatest strikers. A matchup with Rodtang remained high on that list since the beginning, making the opportunity to avenge their March result particularly meaningful now that it sits within reach.

“I had always told myself that if I lost twice, I would retire. And in ONE Championship, after the last fight against Rodtang, I ended up losing twice, but I just couldn’t bring myself to end it there. And I really came into this fight in a must-win situation, and I was able to get that win. And I really hope that this fight with Rodtang comes about,” Takeru said.

“The talk about retirement, it wasn’t really because I feel that my body is breaking or getting weaker. I trained a lot of things, I changed a lot of things in my training leading up to this, but I feel that currently, I can keep myself at the strongest and best Takeru that there ever was. But the time for me to be able to do that is kind of shortening.”