'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former undisputed ONE featherweight MMA world champion Thanh Le is heading for a massive unification bout against the division's undisputed king, Tang Kai, at ONE 166: Qatar. On March 1st, ONE Championship will make its long-awaited debut in Qatar, with Tang Kai rematching Thanh Le to unify the undisputed and interim belts to serve as the co-main event.
Trending
Le and Tang first clashed at ONE 160 back in 2022, in which Tang unanimously won the match in all three judges' scorecards. An immediate rematch was set for ONE Fight Night 12 in July 2023 but was scrapped when Tang pulled out due to injury.
In the meantime, Le won the interim ONE featherweight MMA world title by submitting Ilya Freymanov at ONE Fight Night 15 in October of the same year. The Freymanov win was quite remarkable as it only took Le, a man known to be a KO artist, just over a minute to score the tap via a heel hook.
On his quick sub of Freymanov, Le told ONE:
“I was happy with the fight. He came out a little less aggressive than I thought he was going to. And then obviously the fight was quick, so there's not like a ton to talk about.”
Here's a clip of the sub:
Thanh Le vs. Ilya Freymanov at ONE Fight Night 15 play-by-play
The interim ONE featherweight world title bout went from zero to sixty right at the bell. Freymanov immediately came out firing, but Thanh Le held his ground and answered back with some heavy leather. The violent exchange prompted Freymanov to take the Vietnamese-American former undisputed world champion down.
In the chaotic grappling exchange, Le's time with BJJ mastermind and leglock wizard Ryan Hall paid off as he marvelously trapped one of Freymanov’s legs and locked it into a heel hook. Tangled with nowhere to go, the Russian star had no choice but to tap out.
Watch the full fight here:
Thanh Le’s swift submission finish came in at 1:02 in the first round, winning him a $50,000 bonus from ONE Championship. Watch him attempt to pull off a similar finish against Tang Kai at ONE 166: Qatar, live on March 1, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
