Ilya Freymanov on facing ‘big name’ opponent Thanh Le: “I consider him a very strong opponent”

Ilya Freymanov believes he’s ready to take his career to the next level.

With two highlight wins in his start to ONE Championship, the Russian mauler plans to make it a hat-trick when he takes on Thanh Le for the ONE interim featherweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 15.

The high-stakes match goes down this Friday, US primetime, at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

Freymanov is 2-0 in ONE Championship and he feels his match against Le is the turning point of his young career.

In an interview with the promotion, Freymanov said:

“Now he's an ex-champion, but I consider him a very strong opponent and a man with a big name," Freymanov told ONE Championship. "He has achieved a lot in this sport and was a champion for a long time. He won over my previous opponent, Martin Nguyen, who was also an ex-champion. My motivation is to beat the best and be the best.”

Le is a former ONE featherweight MMA world champion. He captured the biggest win of his life when he knocked out Nguyen at ONE: Inside the Matrix back in October 2020.

The Vietnamese-American star then defended the strap once when he sent Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Garry Tonon to the Phantom Zone at ONE: Lights Out. Le, however, relinquished the featherweight throne in his next match against Tang Kai at ONE 160.

Freymanov, meanwhile, had one of the best debuts in ONE Championship history when he ethered Nguyen, a former ONE featherweight and lightweight MMA world champion, at ONE on Prime Video 2 in 2022.

He then secured a first-round submission win over Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg in his second match at ONE Fight Night 11 earlier this year.

ONE Fight Night 15 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.