“I Knew It Was Going to Happen” – Thanh Le Gears Up for ONE Fight Night 15 Clash With Ilya Freymanov Matchup

Former ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Thanh Le is back, and he wants to show that he’s still the top dog in the stacked division by reclaiming the gold he lost in his last outing in ONE Championship.

This Friday, October 6, live in U.S. primetime via Prime Video, the Vietnamese-American star will take on the #3-ranked contender Ilya Freymanov for the interim World Title in the main event of ONE Fight Night 15, which will take place inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thanh Le gives his thoughts on the inevitable Ilya Freymanov matchup 

Reigning king Tang Kai snatched the crown from Le in August 2022, and they were scheduled to rematch earlier this year until an injury to the Chinese fighter put that plan on hold. Wanting to keep the busy weight bracket active, ONE higher-ups introduced an interim strap as Tang recovers, something the top-ranked contender understands and appreciates.

“You’ve got to keep the division going,” Le told ONE in an interview. “You’ve got to keep the title fights going to keep everything moving. Having it stale for a year plus is an issue for the company and for us [contenders] lingering at the top.”

Read More: 4 Fighters Who Have the Most To Gain at ONE Fight Night 15

The 50/50 and MidCity MMA representative was motivated to take the belt back from the man who took it from him, but he wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to fight for the interim title when it was presented. And Freymanov has previously expressed a desire to face Le with or without a World Title on the line, so a fight with the Russian star was more or less inevitable.

Former champ braces himself for inevitable matchup 

Ahead of their World Title tussle, the 38-year-old is excited to face an opponent in his prime, as it will give fans a good show. “Ilya’s name came up, and I knew that fight was eventually going to happen no matter what. Whether I beat Tang Kai and was the champion, or maybe I had to work my way back, I knew it was going to happen,” Le said. “Now, since it’s a title fight, Freymanov sees me as a way to get to the title, but even before that, he saw it as, ‘Hey, this dude was champion. I’ve gotta beat him, and he’s going to get me to my dreams.”

Read More: “I’m Training Hard To Beat Him” – Mansur Malachiev Reflects on His Ambitions Before Clash With Joshua Pacio

“But this is everything I’ve worked for, and it’s obviously the most important thing to him too. So he’s going to get the best Thanh Le, I am guaranteed to get the best Ilya, and it’s going to make for fireworks.” ONE Fight Night 15 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, October 6. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and is free for all Prime Video subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.