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Thanh Le is certain he will outclass Tang Kai in ONE world title fight
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ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le. ( ONE Championship)
T
hanh Le has been undefeated for four years, and the ONE featherweight world champion plans to keep it that way, despite whatever Tang Kai brings to the table in their upcoming showdown.
Le will meet Tang in the co-main event of ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II on Aug. 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
This will be Le’s second world title defense after a stunning knockout of Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon at ONE: LIGHTS OUT in March.
The world champion is known for his knock-out power, which he delivered to an unsuspecting Tonon as the grappler was busy seeking a submission while entangled in Le’s legs. Le finished The Lion Killer in 56 seconds, which even for the fast-finishing Le was a quicker pace than usual.
While the Vietnamese-American respects his younger foe, Le is prepared for Tang to make the same mistake that Tonon did – diving in headfirst without being cautious of Le’s force.
“He looks for the finish everywhere. That’s why he’s an exciting fighter. That’s why he’s fun to match up against. He could be more disciplined. In order to send some of your defenses out to go attack, they’re not at home protecting the castle, right?” Le said.
“Because he’s a younger, inexperienced guy trying to go and get this belt that means so much to him, he’s going to act like it, and that’s what we’re going to take advantage of.
“[My prediction is] we go into the fourth round, he throws that two-three combo and misses. I come up on the backside and he catches a right hand down the pipe and goes to sleep, fourth round,” Le said.
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Tang is on a six-fight winning streak, with his most recent victory over Kim "The Fighting God" Jae Woong at ONE X in March ending in a first-round finish. Tang and the two-time ONE World Champion share many similarities in their striking setups, but Le believes his foe is unprepared for who he is about to face.
“If [Tang] wants to be a sniper and a ninja from the outside, that’s my game. He dies 10 times out of 10,” he said.
“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.”
Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action at ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II on Friday, August 26, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
This article was published in collaboration with ONE Championship.
