“I built all those skills” – Thanh Le says maniacal work ethic separates him from the rest of the field

ONE interim featherweight MMA world champion Thanh Le is obsessed with becoming the best mixed martial artist possible.

Despite nearing the end of his MMA career, the Vietnamese-American striker believes that if there’s any goal worth achieving, you have to put the work in.

This Friday, March 1, Le is in for a tough rematch against defending world title holder Tang Kai at ONE 166: Qatar after dropping his featherweight crown to Tang by decision in 2022.

However, even with such a big rematch ahead, Le says he has dedicated the same amount of time and effort in preparing for this bout as when he’s in between fights.

Unlike most 38-year-olds, Le is addicted to self-improvement. He specializes in every aspect of MMA, almost militarily, hoping to become a well-rounded fighter.

Speaking to ONE Championship this week, Le explained:

“That's where the skills develop. That's where it's nice to show off to the fans, and that's where it's easy to prepare for all those options because we're spending the time. But we're not this like, ‘Ohh, I lost the fight to Tang Kai. Let's start doing this.’ This has been done since day one, it just didn't come out in the first fight. OK, cool."

He added:

“But that's where the whole point of building skills and grappling. I built all those skills. And if you look back so far, well, you've used them like. A couple of times in fights, and you finished one fight with it or two fights with grappling skills.”

ONE 166: Qatar will air free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Fans rally behind Thanh Le as the “real champ” ahead of world title clash with Tang Kai

Fight fans are mega excited to see Thanh Le reclaim his featherweight belt against Tang Kai after achieving interim status late last year.

Their first match at ONE 160 was one of the most intense world title fights of the year. The Chinese sensation proved to be a tough competitor, responding to the former champ’s attacks with his speed, patience, and accurate punches. Few men have survived Le’s knockout power, but Tang survived the storm to win the belt by unanimous decision.

After both fighters produced such a great striking war two years ago, fans anticipate an even grittier brawl in their rematch.

Check out what the fans are saying on Instagram below:

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