ONE Friday Fights 81 is set to be another standout event from Bangkok, Thailand. ONE Championship announced three marquee matchups for the event to be held inside Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, September 27. And the results will unquestionably have reverberating impacts throughout their respective divisions in 2024.
In the main event slot, Superbon will take on Jo Nattawut in a featherweight Muay Thai showdown. Nattawut is already scheduled to challenge Tawanchai PK Saenchai once again for the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 169: Atlanta. However, all that could change in Bangkok. Superbon wants his own rematch against the champion and could take control of his destiny with a massive victory.
Both men have had close calls against Tawanchai. Nattawut’s two prior bouts are well documented, with contentious decisions going the way of the PK Saenchai athlete. At ONE Friday Fights 46, Superbon lost a narrow majority decision to the titleholder, leaving him yearning for more.
Takeru Segawa will also return to action at ONE Friday Fights 81. The Japanese superstar lost his promotional debut to Superlek Kiatmoo9 but is set to erase the taste of defeat against Black Panther in a flyweight kickboxing showdown. Black Panther has been surging lately, including a knockout over Ali Saldoev at ONE Fight Night 23.
The massive opportunity for the Thai athlete to make his name internationally known will pull the best out of him on September 27. However, Takeru knows he must keep pace if he wants to challenge for the gold once again. The electric flyweight matchup will be one of September’s most intriguing matchups.
Also announced was a battle of former World Champions. Hiroki Akimoto and Ilias Ennahachi will try to stake their claim as a top bantamweight kickboxing challenger when they square off inside the ring. After immense success at flyweight, Ennahachi is seeking to put his stamp on the bantamweight division in a big way, but Akimoto is motivated to get back to the top with a huge win.
ONE Friday Fights 81 airs live on global pay-per-view. The event goes down from Bangkok on Friday, September 27. The action begins at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT.
