Tang Kai's objective is to retire Thanh Le at ONE 160

Chinese gunslinger Tang Kai’s main objective is to retire ONE featherweight king Thanh Le in singular fashion.

Tang Kai will challenge Thanh Le for the featherweight belt on one of the hottest cards of the year at ONE 160 on Friday, August 26th. The 26-year-old knockout artist has an impressive resume with nine consecutive wins overall, most of them by scintillating finish.

Nearly three years after he joined ONE Championship, and after delivering a showstopping performance against Kim Jae Woong, Tang finally has his chance to fight for gold.

Still feeling the jitters that come with momentum, Tang, however, believes Le’s days are numbered.

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The Tiger Muay Thai representative told ONE:

“He [Thanh Le] is now approaching the end of his career. I think he’s 36 or 37 years old now, and he has a family and kids. I don’t think he will focus on the game and training. But I am still very young. I am 100 percent committed.”

He continued:

“Thanh Le, you’re old. It’s time to retire. I’ll be the new king of the featherweight division.”

Tang senses Le’s time is near. He is preparing for an all-out war, leveling up his speed and striking techniques in one of the most prestigious gyms in Phuket, Thailand: Tiger Muay Thai. The gym is home to great fighters such as ONE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykin and former ONE middleweight world champion Vitaly Bigdash.

Embracing the world championship aura inside the gym, it’s no wonder Tang feels he’s second to none.

Tang Kai warns newly promoted black belt, Thanh Le, what he’ll do if takedown is attempted

Tang Kai isn’t worried if Thanh Le wants to take their fight to the canvas. It’s all smoke and mirrors for the Chinese star.

The numbers don’t lie, Tang has never been submitted in the six years he’s been in MMA and he’s made it difficult for opponents to hold him down at every attempt. He’s too fast and well-rehearsed on defense to let that happen.

During a virtual conference for ONE 160 where Thanh Le was also present, the 26-year-old power striker said:

“I know he recently got his black belt in jiu-jitsu, but I don’t worry about that. It’s impossible to take me down. He has to take me down first to submit me, and that’s not going to happen. I will counter him with strikes, and you’ll see what will happen.”

Watch the full interview below:

About the author

Saray has been a part of Sportskeeda’s MMA team for the last two years and has penned over 1500 pieces so far. She extensively covers ONE Championship, reporting on disciplines like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, MMA, and kickboxing. She previously spent a year working for BTC Promotions in Burlington, Ontario. She has a degree in English and was also an English Language instructor.

A former taekwondo practitioner, Saray’s favorite fighters include Khabib Nurmagomedov, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Demetrious Johnson.

Saray’s journey as an MMA fan began after watching Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Juliana Lima at UFC on Fox 12 in 2014. She now pushes to provide unique and accurate insights to MMA enthusiasts. Her extensive experience includes interviewing top ONE Championship athletes like Danielle Kelly and ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt via The MMA Superfan and Sportskeeda.

Outside of work, her other interests include watching the UFC, playing soccer, and blogging. And she loves being a mom.

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Edited by John Cunningham

Tang Kai aims to ‘retire’ Thanh Le, be crowned new ONE featherweight king

Tang Kai warns newly promoted black belt, Thanh Le, what he’ll do if takedown is attempted