“We got a little more up here” - Thanh Le boasts of superior fight IQ over rival Tang Kai

Reigning ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le believes that while Tang Kai has the advantage of youth, he has the edge in wisdom.

The pair will duke it out for the ONE featherweight world title in the co-main event of ONE 160 on August 26 in Singapore.

In a virtual press conference for ONE 160, the 36-year-old Le said that while he may not be the spring chicken he once was, his advanced age definitely has its advantages as well.

Thanh Le said:

“We talk about the negatives of being old, but there are also positives of being an older fighter, being that you have more life experience. Do I think that being old has its advantages in the cage? Yeah. I’m gonna use whatever I have have, obviously, to try and beat this guy."

He added:

“I’ve still got a lot of speed left in the bag, a lot of power. Still got that, except we got a little more up here [points to head], a little more fight IQ, more days in training, more hours. Then the longer you give to collect this information, the longer you give me to train, to practice, to game plan, the worse that actually is for you guys.”

Le said that his experience helped him develop a really high fight IQ that he hopes to utilize when he faces such a dangerous challenger in Tang Kai.

“So we’ve had a long time to develop things throughout our career and part of it, let’s say, most of it is all up here [points to head], and it’s really nice to be able to let that out. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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Thanh Le looks to extend his ONE Championship win streak

Since arriving in ONE Championship, Thanh Le has faced some heavy hitters and strong grapplers, overcoming them admirably.

Former ONE lightweight world champion Kotetsu Boku and Japanese knockout artist Ryogo Takahashi both fell to Le’s punches inside the first round of their matchups.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese-American claimed the world title by defeating the dominant Martin Nguyen with a striking onslaught in the third round of their matchup.

He also has experience in taking out strong grapplers like ONE Championship veteran Yusup Saadulaev and grappling star Garry Tonon.

Le is looking to add Tang Kai to the list of his conquests inside the circle and extend his undefeated streak to six.