Tang Kai vs Thanh Le 2 set to take place at ONE Fight Night 12 in July

ONE featherweight world champion Tang Kai is set to defend his belt for the first time against former titleholder Thanh Le in a rematch this coming July.

MMA Junkie broke the news that the top two featherweights are set to face off at ONE Fight Night 12 on July 14th, more than half a year since they first battled it out for the world title.

At ONE 160 in August 2022, the two hard-hitting stars put their undefeated runs in the promotion on the line to determine the best in the division.

Le entered the contest with five straight knockouts in ONE Championship, which includes his world title win against Martin Nguyen and his quick finish of grappling star Garry Tonon in his first defense. Meanwhile, Tang was on a brilliant run of his own, winning six straight bouts that included four knockouts.

The Vietnamese-American was slightly favored because of his experience, but Tang Kai showed tremendous composure and technical brilliance early on and never let up. The Chinese star attacked Thanh Le’s lead leg, neutralizing the defending champion’s offense for much of the contest.

Despite a spirited run in the later rounds, Le couldn’t swing the tide in his favor, crowning Tang Kai as the first Chinese male MMA world champion.

They will now run it back in different roles this time around, with Tang looking to keep his prestigious position at the top of the division and Le hungry to prove that his loss was a one-off result.

The venue for the July 14 event has not yet been announced, but expect more information to come to light in the coming months.