“He could be more disciplined” - Thanh Le says Tang Kai’s fighting style lacks restraint, polish

Whenever you have Thanh Le talking about an opponent’s strengths or weaknesses, you often cannot help but agree with what he says. The Louisiana native recently talked about his next challenger, Tang Kai, and offered some valuable insight into some of the holes he found in the Chinese fighter’s striking game.

In a massive ONE Championship doubleheader next month, Thanh Le puts his featherweight world title on the line for the second time against China’s best knockout artist, Tang Kai, on Friday, August 26.

Since the announcement, Le and Tang have exchanged some epic trash talk over the last few weeks with Tang calling the 36-year-old Le ‘an old man'.

In response, Le broke down his upcoming opponent’s style and briefly talked about Tang Kai’s outstanding striking abilities while at the same time pointing out some of his weaknesses.

The American-Vietnamese fighter told ONE:

“He looks for the finish everywhere. That’s why he’s an exciting fighter. That’s why he’s fun to match up against. He could be more disciplined. In order to send some of your defenses out to go attack, they’re not at home protecting the castle, right?”

Thanh Le is arguably one of the best strikers in ONE Championship. The MMA veteran has never left it up to the judges to decide his fights and is on a 5-fight win streak with a recent KO victory against jiu-jitsu icon Garry Tonon this past March. Le is by far one of the most dangerous and prolific knockout finishers in MMA.

On the same coin, Tang Kai is becoming a bit of a knockout sensation himself. With 6 consecutive wins and an impressive KO victory against Kim Jae Woong, which earned him a shot at the world title, Tang has the potential to pull off an upset. This matchup will be, hands down, one of the most replayed fights of the year.

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Thanh Le says he’s mentally prepared to finish Tang Kai on the mat should the occasion arise

With fans expecting a knockout, Thanh Le is mentally prepared to finish Tang Kai on the mat if the situation calls for it.

Le told ONE:

“If he wants to whip out some of his wrestling, I think I’ll finish him on the ground. And if he wants to keep this standing, then I think you’ll see the gap between good and elite.”

Having earned his jiu-jitsu black belt earlier this year from close friend Ryan Hall, Le has shown that he’s a complete fighter and can take the action anywhere, even if it hits the canvas.