'%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)
ONE Championship posted the fight-ending sequence for Tang Kai’s world title victory against Thanh Le.
On March 1, ONE travelled to the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusai, Qatar, for ONE 166. The event featured three world title fights, including the return of ONE featherweight MMA king Tang, who hadn’t fought since August 2022 due to a severe leg injury.
The Chinese superstar’s first fight back was a world title unification bout against interim world champion Thanh Le. The last time Tang fought, he dethroned Le from the featherweight MMA throne with a unanimous decision win at ONE Championship 160.
Trending
The judges weren’t needed in the rematch, as Tang secured a third-round knockout win. Several days after ONE 166, the promotion shared the fight-ending footage on Instagram with the following caption:
“AND STILL 👑 Tang Kai TKOs Thanh Le in their rematch to unify the ONE Featherweight MMA World Title! @tangkaimma”
The entire ONE 166: Qatar replay, including Tang’s knockout win against Le, can be seen for free by North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
What’s next for Tang Kai?
Tang Kai has plans to stay active after enduring a longer-than-expected layoff. Luckily for him, there is a clear-cut number-one contender in Garry Tonon, who defeated Martin Nguyen by first-round submission in January.
Following his impressive performance, Tonon called out the winner of Tang vs. Le by saying this at the ONE 165 post-fight press conference:
“Even though Thanh Le has beaten me before, I'm sure both of those guys know it and for me to get out there take [Martin Nguyen’s] back and strangle him in the first round they got to be thinking in their own heads like, ‘Is that going to happen to me?’ So yeah they got to. I think what they have to worry about what's coming next right after that.”
Garry Tonon made his promotional debut in March 2018. ‘The Lion Killer’ started with six consecutive wins, including five inside the distance, before suffering a 56-second knockout loss against Thanh Le. Since then, Tonon has submitted three opponents in a row to potentially earn a ONE featherweight MMA world title shot.
