ONE Featherweight World Champion Thanh Le and top-ranked contender Tang Kai have 24 knockout victories split equally between them, and a finish seems almost guaranteed when the hard-hitting stars square off in the co-main event of ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II on August 26.
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The surging Chinese star has warned the reigning divisional king that he has the tools to finish him and claim the throne, and with his track record, he appears to be speaking the truth.
Le doesn’t think much of his words, however, and he believes it will play out the opposite way at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
“If [Tang] wants to be a sniper and a ninja from the outside, that’s my game. He dies 10 times out of 10,” the Louisiana native shared.
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“If he wants to go in there and mix it up and make it hectic and crazy, then that is his best chance. But I’m really good at that stuff too, so that’s going to be a problem for him as well. If I hit him, he’s going to sleep.”
Le enters his second World Title defense on a five-match knockout run. His last outing on the global stage saw him spark grappling superstar Garry Tonon in the first round to retain his gold, so his confidence is at an all-time high.
The World Champion would be wise not to discount his upcoming opponent, though. Tang has three back-to-back knockouts inside the ONE Circle, and he is currently enjoying a nine-fight winning streak.
Most recently, the Chinese fighter took out former top-ranked challenger Kim Jae Woong inside 127 seconds to seal his spot as the number one contender to the throne.
ONE 160: Similarities between Thanh Le and Tang Kai
Le has been impressed by the 26-year-old’s performances, but he sees holes in Tang’s arsenal – and he vows to expose them at ONE 160.
“[Tang] has a lot of the same strengths I do. He’s sharp; his movement is good and developed; his evasiveness is pretty good when he wants to be slick. He’ll engage when he thinks he has the advantage, and he’ll bail when he thinks he is on even footing or in a negative position. So some of the things that I do well, he does well also, but I do them better,” he said.
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“If he wants to whip out some of his wrestling, I think I’ll finish him on the ground. And if he wants to keep this standing, then I think you’ll see the gap between good and elite.”
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Both men have a knack for putting on spectacular performances, so fans should expect both fighters to give it their all in Singapore next month.