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No. 1 featherweight contender, Tang Kai is determined to take the belt from ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le at ONE 160.
Tang didn’t mince words when he told the media in a virtual press conference for the event that he’s “going to be the champion of the world.”
Surprisingly though, the 26 year-old rising star didn’t always believe he could one day be a world champion.
He told ONE:
"At the beginning of my career, I actually never thought about being a [world] champion. I took my career step by step when I first joined the business. I didn’t even get paid. I thought. ‘What is this?’ But now look where I am.”
He added:
"I only started to think about being a [world] champion when I got better and better, beating certified tough opponents. I only dreamed about things that matched my abilities. So when I got better [at fighting], I started to want better things. Now, I believe truthfully, that I’m going to be the champion of the world - the first male [mixed martial arts] world champion from China.”
Watch the full conference below:
Tang Kai will step into the Circle on a six-fight win streak, with four out of the six being knockouts. Tang possesses an astounding ability to shut the lights out on any opponent, if given the opportunity.
On the flip side of the coin, Thanh Le’s opponents have all fallen to the mighty power of the Vietnamese-American hammer. Unbeaten in ONE, he’s the only competitor who truly stands in the way of Tang’s future rise to glory.
Fans are stoked to see how Thanh Le vs. Tang Kai plays out at ONE 160
Fans are super stoked to see how Thanh Le vs. Tang Kai will play out at ONE 160.
With both being virtuosos of the sport, it makes it a lot harder to predict who will come out on top. However, one thing’s for sure, they will bring the best version of themselves into the Circle on August 26.
Le will most likely try to control the pace by maintaining his distance and by being patient with his power punches. He will perhaps set up long shots and follow them up with powerful combinations to throw the right hand. If one of them connects, Tang could find himself in some deep trouble.
Similarly, if Le doesn’t account for Tang’s deadly left hook, the bout could easily be over before it begins. Tang has a whole arsenal of skills and techniques he could use to knockout the world champion. Things to look out for are his high kicks, jab work, and left hooks
Suffice to say, this world title fight is going to be wild. Fans can catch all the action live at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with tickets on presale soon.
