"It didn't cause that much damage" - Takeru insists he still had his bearings after being knocked down by Thant Zin
Takeru Segawa went through a war in order to come out with his hand raised at ONE Friday Fights 81.
The Japanese star was set to return to action at ONE Friday Fights 81 in search of his first win in the promotion.
After his original opponent, Black Panther, withdrew from the contest, he was replaced by lethwei fighter Thant Zin.
This immediately informed fans that the bout was probably going to be a battle of wills because of the aggressive style that Thant Zin would bring to the table.
That's exactly what we got at Lumpinee Stadium. The crowd held their breath after Takeru was dropped in the first round.
Takeru quickly recovered and went on to stop his opponent in the second round following an incredible fight.
During his post-event interviews, the Japanese kickboxer spoke about whether the knockdown in the first round impacted him all that much:
"For the first round I got down, but that was only just like a flash knockdown, it didn't cause that much damage. In my head, I just need to do something back to him."
Takeru got back to his feet and closed the show
As he said himself, after being dropped in the opening round, Takeru knew that he had to hit his opponent harder.
He was able to rally in the second round and drop Thant Zin twice before he failed to meet the 10-count, ending the fight in incredible fashion.
It was anything but an easy night at the office for 'The Natural Born Crusher'. But, he once again showed his heart and toughness to come back into the fight.
He also showcased his ability to finish fights, smelling blood in the water and pouring on the pressure to get his man out of there.
The replay of ONE Friday Fights 81 is available at watch.onefc.com for those who purchased the PPV.