"Sounded like he was kicking a sand bag" - Kickboxing icon Buakaw in awe of Superlek's riffling kicks against Takeru
When it comes to breaking down fights and using his experience to give fans insight into what they're seeing in the ring, look no further than striking icon and living legend, Buakaw Banchamek.
The multi-time world champion is just about as high up on the ladder of respect and accolades as you can possibly get and that makes his insight into the biggest fights in the world of high interest.
In a recent YouTube video, he spoke about the main event clash of ONE 165 that went down inside the Ariake Arena in Japan.
On home soil, Japanese kickboxing star Takeru Segawa attempted to claim a world championship in his ONE debut. However, ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion, Superlek Kiatmoo9, had other plans as he travelled to enemy territory with a vicious game plan in store.
His devastating leg kicks were the story of the fight after he brutalized his opponent's base in the early rounds.
Buakaw spoke about this attack from the champion during his video breakdown of the fight, saying:
"Superlek hasn't missed a kick at all. And he was going at it non-stop. Takeru was starting to lose balance in his steps while walking. [And when Takeru fell in the first round] it was very obvious that he was hurting. Superlek's kicks sounded like he was kicking a sand bag, loud and clear."
Watch the full video below:
Buakaw knows an elite striker when he sees one
Buakaw wasn't the only person that was left seriously impressed by the performance Superlek put on this past January inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Though through sheer heart and toughness, Takeru was able to make the fight more competitive down the stretch, it was the early lead from 'The Kicking Machine' that proved to be the difference.
Investing heavily into the leg kicks early on prevented his opponent from being able to consistently close the gap and land his punches.
It was a ruthless and effective display from the Thai world champion who retained the gold in one of the biggest fights of the year.
North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE 165 via the free event replay.