Urijah Faber has some competition for the worst leg kick damage of all time.
Older mixed martial arts (MMA) fans who were around for the legendary World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) days will never forget the performance the future Featherweight icon, Jose Aldo, put on against Faber in April 2010. In his first title defense as champion, Aldo chopped away at the “California Kid” for five rounds of brutal leg kick offense en route to a unanimous decision.
The result turned Faber’s thigh to a never-before-seen black-and-blue color of bruising. Unfortunately for world-renowned Japanese kickboxing sensation, Takeru Segawa, he found himself in a similar position to Faber after his 135-pound Flyweight title tilt with Superlek Kiatmuu9 at ONE 165 this past weekend (Jan. 27, 2024). The brutal damage sustained in Takeru’s unanimous decision loss can be seen in the embedded post above.
“Thank you for the many comments and messages,” Takeru said on Instagram via the transcribe feature. “Feeling uplifted by the words from everyone. I’m happy when your battle is someone’s strength to live.
“Superlek player was really strong,” he continued. “I had a fractured knee can’t walk now. I can’t think of anything but staying firm and positive. Take a break and answer within yourself. I will report again. Thank you so much for all your support.”
Superlek was Takeru’s debut opponent in ONE after an initial match up against Rodtang Jitmuangnon fell through because of an injury to the Thai superstar. Despite the affair not going his way, Takeru rallied strongly late in the bout to give Superlek all he could handle. The 32-year-old’s future remains in question going forward after a lengthy and successful 43-4 career. First thing’s first, he’ll have to rest and recover after the thrilling war.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
