Why it is the time of Tang Kai To Become ONE Featherweight World Champion

It’s hard to forget Tang Kai’s callout of ONE Featherweight World Champion Thanh Le after his first-round knockout victory over fellow ranked contender Kim Jae Woong. Aside from his enthusiasm, what made it memorable was his choice of words.

But finally, he will have a chance to compete for the belt when he faces Le at ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II on 26 August at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. 

The Sunkin International Fight Club representative has waited for this moment since his debut in ONE Championship in 2019. He has dominated every opponent, making him the rightful top challenger for the division’s throne.

But even after his fight against Kim at ONE X, Tang continues to taunt Le through social media. The Chinese sensation said in an Instagram post:

“Hey Thanh Le, let’s fight. Now I’m number one. I see the video. You look very old. I will kill you, just first round. Let’s go! I can’t wait.” The caption also reads, “[I’ll] see you soon, old man @thanhlemma. Keep my belt [shiny].”

While Le can be considered a senior in his matchup against Tang, he looked fresh in his most recent title defence against Garry Tonon at ONE: LIGHTS OUT in March. The Vietnamese-American knocked “The Lion Killer” out in the first round after the challenger went for an ankle lock.

However, Le has never faced a competitor as ferocious as Tang. The Chinese striker also hasn’t lost in six fights inside the Circle and has a 14-2 career mixed martial arts record. Four of his victories in ONE Championship were knockouts; three happened in the first round.

Tang’s other knockout victory happened in round two against Sung Jong Lee in his promotional debut at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT. Aside from Kim and Sung, his other knockouts were against Yoon Chang Min and Ryogo Takahashi.

With Le having the same strengths as Tang, the current ONE Featherweight World Champion must keep his guard up to deflect his challenger’s punches. Yet, given his dominance throughout his ONE career, Le’s title reign could be inevitable because he has that one-punch knockout power.

So, if Tang is to take his career to the next level, he must show respect for Le’s game. Tang will be in for a tough fight, but he has a great chance of having his hand raised after what could shape up to be a hard scrap.

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