ONE Championship recently made a huge announcement to hype up one of its upcoming tentpole shows, ONE Friday Fights 81, which will take place inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on September 27.

The thrilling edition of the weekly martial arts showcase will see the return of Japanese superstar Takeru “The Natural Born Crusher” Segawa, who’ll clash with Thai striker Black Panther in a flyweight kickboxing encounter.

The upcoming ONE Championship card features top strikers in high-stakes matches

It will also feature former ONE World Champions Hiroki Akimoto and Ilias Ennahachi squaring off in a bantamweight kickboxing match and ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon taking on “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut in a featherweight Muay Thai clash.

While there are no World Titles on the line in the latest announcements, the competition between the marquee names will certainly make this another unmissable card.

Takeru made his promotional debut at ONE 165 in Tokyo this past January and produced a Fight of the Year candidate when he challenged “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title.

Though the Japanese star fell to a decision loss, he was able to show the global audience why he is one of the most highly regarded strikers on the planet.

Takeru will not have it any easier in his sophomore appearance, however. Black Panther has been on a roll in his last three outings, and he’ll be looking to pick up arguably the biggest win of his career when he steps back into the ring on September 27.

In the other kickboxing battle, the Akimoto-Ennahachi pairing could shake up the divisional rankings, considering both men’s bodies of work in ONE.

Akimoto won the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE X in March 2022 but couldn’t retain it against Petchtanong Petchfergus eight months later at ONE 163. The Japanese star then failed to make a splash when he returned against Chinese striking legend Wei Rui at ONE Fight Night 22 this past May.

Ennahachi is a former ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion, who has the unique distinction of being the only fighter to defeat current divisional king Superlek in ONE so far. The Morrocan has since moved to bantamweight, and he won his first fight there against Aliasghar Ghodratisaraskan at ONE Friday Fights 6 in February 2023.

Superbon faces a tough test against Jo Nattawut at ONE Friday Fights 81

Last but certainly not least for the ONE Friday Fights 81 announcements, Superbon will make his way back to ONE for the first time since winning the interim featherweight kickboxing crown against old rival Marat Grigorian at ONE Friday Fights 58 in April.

The Thai superstar will switch focus to Muay Thai in his next bout, and he’ll face a significant challenge against “Smokin” Jo Nattawut as he looks to earn a chance to challenge Tawanchai PK Saenchai for the World Title.

Currently top-ranked in the featherweight Muay Thai division, Superbon will make a statement if he can take out his #2-ranked foe, as “Smokin’’ Jo is already booked to face Tawanchai for the gold in a thrilling trilogy meeting at ONE 169: Atlanta on November 8.

With a win at ONE Friday Fights 81, Superbon would surely put himself next in line if the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym athlete goes 3-0. And if Nattawut gains the World Title, he’d likely be booked as his first defense.

However, victory will be easier said than done. “Smokin” Jo has won the hearts of fans across his last three fights, and he will want to show why he has landed another crack at Tawanchai by taking out the top contender in the division.

More fights are expected to fill the card in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for further updates.