“Movement and evasion-oriented” - Thanh Le says taekwondo fits his MMA style perfectly

Thanh Le will step back into the circle to defend his ONE featherweight world championship for the second time on August 26 when he meets powerful Chinese striker Tang Kai in the evening’s co-main event.

Headlined by a highly anticipated rematch between former lightweight world champion Christian Lee and reigning titleholder Ok Rae Yoon, fans will be first treated to an epic featherweight showdown.

For Le, it’s an opportunity to further cement his legacy as one of the best featherweights to step inside the circle. For Tang, it’s the chance to become the first male MMA world champion for his home country.

Ahead of their co-main event clash, Thanh Le spoke to ONE Championship about his plan to deal with Tang Kai’s power. As a taekwondo practitioner, Le takes a much more evasive approach to his fights, utilizing movement and pairing it with boxing to marry the two styles together.

When asked if he believes taekwondo is a better base for MMA compared to Muay Thai, Le said:

“I wouldn’t say better, but I would say it fits me and my team’s fighting style better. I would say if Rodtang came to MMA, Muay Thai would obviously be the better fit for him and his MMA style would complement that. My style is movement and evasion-oriented with long-range sniper-style strikes. Taekwondo with its footwork is a better match for that style. The issue with TKD is it doesn’t have much hands involved, so that must be paired with boxing.”

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Thanh Le is ready for any approach Tang Kai takes in their world title showdown

While Thanh Le is known for his footwork and evasiveness inside the circle, don’t confuse him with someone that avoids engaging with his opponents.

In five fights under the ONE Championship banner, Le remains undefeated, with each of his victories coming by way of knockout. Whether Tang Kai wants to play on the outside or bring the pressure, Le will be ready.

"If he doesn’t give me the opportunity to counter, I think you guys will see a little bit of a different approach from me towards the second or third round. But it just depends on his approach to the fight in the first. I’ve heard him mention that he wanted to get me out of there early, so we’ll see how that goes.”

Le continued by saying:

“I think that’s really [what] my strongest attribute is: if you come at me early in the fight, all my fights have ended early. So, we’ll see if he plays it patient or if he comes out guns-a-blazing. We’re definitely ready for both."