3 biggest storylines heading into ONE 160

Martial arts drama is set to unfold at ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II on August 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

ONE lightweight world champion Ok Rae Yoon will try to defend his belt against a determined and hungry Christian Lee in their much-anticipated rematch.

The first meeting between the two stars was embroiled in controversy with much of the viewing public vehemently contesting the result of the match. Others, meanwhile, saw no problem in Ok’s world title victory over Lee, the former world champion.

Preceding the tense main event is Thanh Le’s defense of his ONE featherweight world title against challenger Tang Kai in what is expected to be a barnburner of a match.

While their bout will be contested under MMA rules, the two fighters would love nothing more than to stay on their feet and throw shells that are strong enough to break castle walls.

Yes, the two world title matches are deserving of their spots on the card, but those pair of bouts aren’t the only ones with a deep-rooted story.

With the introductions out of the way, here are the best storylines for ONE 160.

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#3. Rittewada Petchyindee and Saemapetch Fairtex run it back for another epic war

Fights ending in controversy are not uncommon in martial arts, and such was the case in the first match between Rittewada Petchyindee and Saemapetch Fairtex.

Rittewada captured a second-round knockout win over Saemapetch at ONE: NextGen II in November 2021. Rittewada, who was making his ONE Championship debut, was on the backfoot when he clocked Saemapetch with a quick elbow right above the right eyebrow.

That elbow proved to be vital for Rittewada as the wound continued to bleed. Although Saemapetch still had the wherewithal to continue, it was ultimately deemed a knockout win for Rittewada.

This time around, Saemapetch has a chance to bounce back and get back at Rittewada at ONE 160.

As for Rittewada, he can use this matchup to prove that his win over the former world title contender was no fluke and that he deserves his spot in the big leagues of Muay Thai.

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#2. Thanh vs. Tang: Who will knock out who?

The fight may be under MMA rules, but expect the world title match between Thanh Le and Tang Kai at ONE 160 to be an all-out striking war.

Le will make the second defense of his ONE featherweight world title against Tang, whom the world champion described as another boogeyman in the division.

If the saying “styles make fights” ring true, then the epic war of fists and limbs between Le and Tang is surely the stuff of martial arts folklore. The two fighters have nine knockouts between them and both are also unbeaten in ONE Championship.

Tang is 6-0 in the promotion and has four knockouts to his name. Le, meanwhile, is 5-0 and is on a five-knockout streak with his latest finish a sub-minute knockout of submission specialist Garry Tonon.

The fight already has explosions written all over it, but that concept will be put into reality when the two knockout artists finally square off at ONE 160.

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#1. Ok tries to prove his win was no fluke, Lee plans to regain world title at ONE 160

Sequels usually bear the unfortunate fate of not living up to the original, but the rematch between Ok Rae Yoon and Christian Lee will likely blow that assumption to bits.

Ok, the ONE lightweight world champion, wants nothing more than to prove that his September 2021 victory over former world champion Lee was no fluke.

Lee, meanwhile, is hellbent on proving that he’s the rightful world champion and that Ok just happens to be on his warpath to glory.

Their first fight at ONE: Revolution had everything from huge strikes to near finishes, Ok and Lee delivered on that occasion and It’s now up for their rematch at ONE 160 to fulfill a hyped-up promise.