Superlek prepares to compete in the art of eight limbs once again and one of his former foes from kickboxing competition has weighed in on that contest this Friday. Superlek will clash with Abdulla Dayakaev in a Muay Thai matchup at ONE Friday Fights 154 on May 15th and a prior opponent of the former who weighed in on that fight which transpires later this week is Takeru. The legend who recently retired by capturing ONE kickboxing gold in a rematch with Rodtang had previously fought Superlek where the Japanese superstar fell short on points at ONE 165 in January 2024.

Takeru had previously said that the Superlek setback was a performance that really changed his perspectives on several aspects of combat and resulted in a particularly marked level of growth for him. When asked for his thoughts on that particular fight between Superlek and Dayakaev in the ONE Circle, things were kept succinct and respectful as Takeru said, through an interpreter [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Well, obviously Superlek is someone I couldn’t win [against]. But what I think is, I want for him to win the fight.”

Takeru receives praise from ONE and Rizin alike after hanging up the gloves

Takeru choosing to embark on his swan song from combative competition has garnered him various acknowledgements from some of the top figures in this world. After claiming ONE Championship gold in his final bout as mentioned, Takeru will now be formally inducted into the ONE Hall of Fame per promotional figurehead Chatri Sityodtong. Nick Atkin of Bangkok Post reported this news and the formal recognition of this inclusion into their HOF will transpire at ONE Samurai 4 in October.

Also, Rizin figurehead Nobuyuki Sakakibara posted a video clip to his personal X account of Takeru visiting the Rizin offices with his ONE Championship strap adorned over his shoulder. As he was commenting on his reunion with the 34-year-old superstar, in the translated text on the post, Sakakibara stated,

“Today, in an unexpected turn of events, [Takeru] unexpectedly visited the RIZIN office to report his retirement! Although he has retired from active competition, I hope [Takeru], who continues to hold a strong love for martial arts unchanged, will take various actions to further energize and boost the Japanese martial arts world. Let’s smash through those barriers together!”

Sakakibara and Takeru have their own history together with the former being heavily involved in promotional duties for the latter’s massive clash with Tenshin Nasukawa. This was a hugely successful kickboxing super fight simply called ‘The Match’, one that set the sport on fire in June 2022 in Tokyo.