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Tang Kai was heavily criticized for how he approached the first Thanh Le fight when the two elite featherweights met initially in 2022.
Tang put together a workmanlike performance, dominating on the scorecards to beat Le by unanimous decision and claim the gold. However, it was a far cry from his usual explosive nature, which rubbed fans the wrong way.
In their highly anticipated rematch last weekend, Tang put the criticism to bed and finally stopped Le once and for all. The 27-year-old Chinese superstar scored a third-round technical knockout over his Vietnamese-American rival in the co-main event at ONE 166: Qatar, ONE Championship’s historic return to the Middle East.
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The event took place at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail City last Friday, March 1. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch a replay of all the action on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription or on ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel.
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Speaking to ONE Championship veteran broadcast analyst Mitch ‘The Dragon’ Chilson in the Circle after the fight, Tang turned the tables on Le.
The Tiger Muay Thai / Sunkin International Fight Club representative stated:
“He told me (I was) a runner in the first fight, but for the second fight, he’s the runner.”
Tang put together an epic performance and backed up the smack talk in the most beautiful way possible.
Could we see a third fight between these two featherweights?
What’s next for Tang Kai?
27-year-old Tang Kai cemented his place as the undisputed ONE featherweight MMA world champion, and now the sky’s the limit for the Chinese superstar.
With Thanh Le finally in his rearview mirror, Tang can move on to other interesting featherweight matchups. There are big fights to be had with the rest of the fighters in the top five, but likely with no.1-ranked contender Garry Tonon, who has proven to be an absolute force.
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the news and updates surrounding Tang Kai’s next fight.
