“The Rock Smack” - Thanh Le pays homage to The Rock after interim world title win at ONE Fight Night 15 

There has been a consistent overlap between the world of combat sports and that of pro wrestling due to how similar in nature the two institutions are at their core and Thanh Le was more than happy to show homage to an all-time pro wrestling great

At ONE Fight Night 15 last October, the former ONE featherweight MMA world champion faced Russian standout Ilya Freymanov over the ONE interim featherweight MMA world championship.

Le and Freymanov are two of the most fearsome featherweights on the planet, and fans were eager to see who comes out on top between the two well-rounded fighters.

Freymanov was able to land some offense on the seasoned veteran, but Le’s experience allowed him to lock in a heel hook in round one.

His post-fight celebration with his coach and brother Vinh, which was posted on ONE Championship’s Instagram page, was heavily inspired by WWE star and eight-time WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and fans immediately knew the reference:

“That’s lit af”

“I thought those were thumbtacks”

“Vietnam’s elbow”

“The Rock smack”

“Of course [Dustin Poirier] liked this video,, he knows what it's like to be hit with the People's Elbow”

“[Thanh Le] is such a remarkable athlete with a journey out of this world so much respect for his humbleness and dedication”

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Thanh Le set for a winner-takes-all match on March 1

At 38 years old, few would have ever thought that the Vietnamese-American could regain gold after being upset by Tang Kai in Le’s second defense of the ONE featherweight MMA world championship.

The veteran believes that the Chinese star did not utterly beat him at his own game as, in his eyes, it was just a decision victory.

Le’s shot at redemption against Tang will come on March 1 at ONE 166 when they square off for the undisputed ONE featherweight MMA world title at Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.