MANILA (UPDATED) -- Reigning ONE flyweight kickboxing champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 and his challenger, Takeru Segawa, are eager to live up to the hype surrounding their upcoming showdown at ONE 165.

The two best pound-for-pound kickboxers in the world will face off in a highly-anticipated showdown when ONE Championship returns to Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, January 28, inside Ariake Arena.

Takeru (43-3) has won three world championships in different divisions but is eager to add a ONE Championship belt to his collection.

"I consider ONE to be the best in the world, so by defeating their champion, I want to prove that I am the strongest in the world. I will definitely win," he vowed.

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Superlek, however, has proven to be one of the most dominant fighters in ONE Championship history, compiling a 10-1 record during his time in the promotion. He enters the match with an eight-fight winning streak.

His biggest win so far came late last year, when he outlasted famed ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon in what was the biggest Muay Thai fight in years.

A few months after conquering Rodtang, Superlek wants to play the spoiler.

"I want to have a match in Japan, defeat the best in Japan, which is Takeru, and prove my strength," he said. "This is my first time meeting Takeru, and I am very excited. I am also delighted to have a match in Japan. I look forward to fighting against the top fighters in Japan."

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Takeru, for his part, believes that while Superlek poses a challenge, he has the necessary tools to finish off the champion within five rounds.

"He has been fighting in Muay Thai for a long time, possessing Muay Thai techniques and strong kicks," he said. "In terms of the match content, I believe it will be a battle between my punches and Superlek's kicks. Since this match has five rounds, it may become a match where one of us falls. I absolutely want to KO Superlek and win the belt."

But the champion is similarly confident.

"I want many people to come and watch this match," Superlek said. "I think this match will end in a KO."

The Superlek vs. Takeru headlines ONE 165, which marks ONE Championship's return to Japan for the first time since 2019.

The global pay-per-view will air live on Watch.ONEFC.com in most regions around the world, and it will air exclusively on ABEMA PPV in Japan. ABEMA PPV will also carry the event in South Korea, The Philippines, and Thailand.

Prior to the pay-per-view card, four free-to-air bouts will air on Watch.ONEFC.com, ONE's YouTube and Facebook channels, ABEMA, and other partner platforms.

The stacked PPV card will also showcase American BJJ star Kade Ruotolo defending his ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Championship against European rival Tommy Langaker in a rematch of their June 2023 classic.

In addition, Japanese martial arts legend Shinya Aoki takes on American phenom Sage Northcutt in a lightweight MMA bout, and Japanese-Korean icon Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama faces off against Nieky Holzken in a special rules super-fight.

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