“See how it ends up for him” - Thanh Le dares Tang Kai to shoot for a takedown at ONE 160

Thanh Le isn’t just a proficient striker, he’s also a jiu-jitsu black belt. The featherweight king recently warned his next challenger, 26-year-old Tang Kai, that if he risks a takedown, it won't end well for him.

Two of the most prolific knockout artists in the division will lock horns inside the circle on an amazing-looking ONE 160 fight card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on August 26. Fans are pumped to see who will be knocked out cold first, the unbeaten Louisianan world champion or Chinese gunslinger Tang Kai.

However, if Tang decides to try and throw Le off-guard with a clever takedown, the champ isn’t worried. The Vietnamese-American star told ONE Championship:

“Obviously, I’m a striker dude in the cage, but I’m a jiu-jitsu guy, too... Who knows, maybe we get a little grappling in on this fight. Let’s see [Tang] throw one of those double legs, and see how it ends up for him.”

Last June, Le was promoted to black belt under Ryan Hall at Gym Fifty/50 in Louisiana. After many years of hard work and training, the 36-year-old star celebrated his achievements with close family and friends.

Always looking to enrich his game with new skills, the knockout king may shock the world with his first submission in ONE Championship later this month.

---

Thanh Le is striking-heavy, but is by no means one-dimensional

Thanh Le’s got some heavy artillery on his feet, recording 12 knockouts in his career. However, he is by no means one-dimensional. He can easily defend takedowns and escape intricate leg locks, as fans saw at ONE: Lights Out against Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Garry Tonon this past March.

In the early seconds of the opening round, ‘The Lion Killer’ immediately went for a takedown. He failed to trap Le on the ground, and Le pulled all the right techniques to escape the situation.

Because Tonon left his face exposed while attempting a leg lock, Le made him pay in the craziest and most brutal way possible. 56 seconds into the round, the featherweight king landed big shots from the top and knocked Tonon out cold.

If Tang tries to pull that same technique, Le might not even stop there, he might even go for a rear-naked choke. Now that Thanh Le’s got his black belt, Tang Kai will be forced to second guess what Le will do next.

That being said, and despite both Le and Tang’s ability to grapple, no one expects this fight to hit the canvas, and for good reason.