Thanh Le reflects on the ‘worst performance’ of his career in first meeting with rival Tang Kai

Former ONE featherweight MMA world champion and now interim titleholder Thanh Le has looked back on his world title loss to Tang Kai and believes it’s an anomaly that won’t happen again.

Le faced Tang at ONE 160 in August of 2022, losing via unanimous decision after a tough fight. He surrendered the featherweight gold in the process.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Le talked about the ordeal and why he believes it’s a one-off thing.

The 38-year-old Vietnamese-American said:

“I think the last fight was a good combination of a really great and well-prepared game plan from Tang and his team and probably the worst performance and decision-making that I’ve made in a really, really long time.”

Now, Le gets the chance to right his wrongs in a rematch with the Chinese star.

Le is set to face Tang in the co-main event of ONE 166: Qatar, ONE Championship’s historic return to the Middle East. The winner will unify the ONE featherweight MMA world title.

The event broadcasts live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar on Friday, March 1.

Thanh Le at peace with his loss to Tang Kai: “Those things happen sometimes”

Thanh Le is coming into his rematch with Tang Kai full of confidence, despite losing to the Chinese stalwart two years ago. The 38-year-old says it’s all part of the game, and that the most important thing is learning from the experience, which he did.

He told ONE Championship:

“Those things happen sometimes, and you’ve gotta roll with the punches. You’ve gotta get better. And that’s what I did.”

ONE 166: Qatar broadcasts live on Friday, March 1, to existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada. Fans can catch all the action live and absolutely free. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on ONE Championship.