“I'm not here just to fight” – Thanh Le only interested in title matches at this stage of his career

Now at 38 years old, no.1 ranked ONE featherweight MMA contender Thanh Le wants to make every fight count as he nears the twilight of his career.

As such, the former 155-pound world champion is only interested in fights that would move him closer to regaining the 26 pounds of gold he surrendered last year.

While a rematch with Tang Kai will have to wait since the champ is recovering from an injury, Thanh Le can still reclaim the gold strap when he meets Ilya Freymanov this coming Friday.

The curtain closer of ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov on Prime Video will feature two of the nastiest knockout artists in the featherweight division.

This five-round war is not expected to reach the judges’ scorecards, with the victor leaving Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok as the interim ONE featherweight MMA world champion.

Speaking with ONE Championship ahead of this massive showdown, Le shared why he wasn’t going to settle for anything other than a world title shot:

“If I've already got a rematch scheduled with the champion, I'm not taking anything else besides a title fight. It just doesn't make sense. If you're one of the guys or the fans that are like ‘You just fight to fight’ then that's just not what I'm in it for,” he said.

“I'm not here just to fight. I'm here to fight the absolute best guys, which is why we have rankings for a reason. That's one of those guys. Ilya is on that list.”

The do-over between Thanh Le and Tang Kai was supposed to take place earlier this year, but the injury bug put a wrench in those plans. Freymanov, on the other hand, racked off back-to-back finishes against formidable foes, making him the perfect candidate as Le’s next dance partner.

Thanh Le, for his part, was also transparent about his desire to receive a champion’s purse. He added:

“I've got to take care of my family too. Nobody should be happy with the money they're making if they could make more. So when you get that gold strap wrapped around your waist, that translates into extra dollars.”

ONE Fight Night 15 will air live on US Primetime on October 6. The entire event is free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.