“The biggest difference is I knocked him out” – Tang Kai on world title rematch against Thanh Le at ONE 166

Tang Kai is sure that he fared much better against Thanh Le during their hotly anticipated rematch that went down at ONE 166 last Friday, March 1.

The ONE featherweight MMA world champion racked up a second successive victory over the American-Vietnamese star, getting the job done via a barrage of strikes late in the third round inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

In the pair’s first meeting, both men refused to fall victim to each other’s knockout power. And per Tang Kai, the finish in Qatar was the perfect way to showcase his growth after sitting out of 2023 due to multiple injuries.

During the post-fight press conference in Qatar, the undisputed ONE featherweight MMA world champion had this to say about any differences he noticed in their rematch.

At the same time, the Chinese megastar took time to thank his legion of fans for their continuous support.

The 27-year-old said:

“The biggest difference is I knocked him out. And, secondly, I want to thank my fans in my hometown country, China, [a huge] thanks for all the fans for supporting me.”

Watch the full interview here:

Both men stuck to their promise of delivering non-stop action as soon as their scheduled five-round war began.

While Tang sought to open up Le at every opportunity, the latter remained happy to work off his foe’s attacks to create an opening.

Though Le found a couple of entry points to push Tang into reverse gear in the second round, the Sunkin International Fight Club star didn’t hold back when the third stanza took off.

From there, the Hunan native pushed Le into reverse gear and went in for the kill, finishing his foe with a right hook and a bucketload of punches to leave ONE 166: Qatar as the one true divisional king.

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Tang Kai’s highlight-reel finish of Le was his 14th victory by way of KO/TKO

After overcoming Le via decision at ONE 160 in August 2022 and a spell of injury last year, Tang Kai was hell-bent on returning to the global stage with a bang.

And a highlight-reel victory was the best possible way for him to silence the doubters and prove why he’s arguably the most dangerous finisher in the talent-jammed division.

Though the likes of Le, former kingpin Martin Nguyen, and Garry Tonon own better finishing rates than the reigning world champion, Tang Kai’s knockout win over Le puts him at 14 knockouts from 18 wins.

To top it all, Tang Kai’s win streak now extends to 11, a run that kickstarted in September 2017.