“I want to get my hands on that lightweight title” - Thanh Le looks to become double-champ in ONE Championship

The reigning ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le is determined to add lightweight gold to his collection.

The Louisiana heavy-hitter returns to the circle on August 26 to defend his featherweight belt against the number one ranked contender Tang Kai at ONE 160.

Headlining the main event on the same evening, is defending lightweight world champion Ok Rae Yoon and Christian Lee. The pair have some unfinished business to settle since their title bout last year ended with Ok’s controversial decision win over Lee.

Thanh Le recently weighed in on the headlining bout on SCMP MMA and threw himself into the mix.

He said:

“I respect both of those guys a lot. They are really good fighters. I want to get my hands on that lightweight title before I'm done with this game. So yeah, I'll definitely be watching. If I'm willing, you know, if I'm able, and you know, who knows, we're fighting at the same time. And maybe the stars align, timing-wise, that they figure out number one through four, one through five, and they battle it out for who's going to fight me next. And maybe have some time to squeeze in another fight in between.”

Watch the full interview below:

With the exception of Tang Kai, Le has single-handedly wiped out the featherweight division. If his upcoming fight with Tang doesn’t warrant a rematch, the 36 year-old standout might move up to 170 lbs to challenge the lightweight world title holder and become a two-world champion.

---

Thanh Le on a bid to unify featherweight belt against Alexander Volkanovski in a cross promotional fight

Not far from Thanh Le’s radar is UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Apparently, Le has his sights set firmly on the unification of the featherweight title and sees it as an inevitability.

In an interview with FTS MMA, he said:

“That has to happen in this sport, I don’t know if it’s gonna take a couple years, or twenty but that has to happen in this sport. We have to be able to actually unify these belts and find out who the best featherweight, lightweight or whatever, is in the world.”

The prospect of Volkanovski and Le in a cross-promotional featherweight bout has certainly piqued fans' attention. With ONE Championship’s superfights, like Demetrious Johnson vs. Rodtang Jithmuangnon, already making ripples, it’s possible Thanh Le could get his wish in the future.