ONE 166: Qatar results: Tang Kai unifies featherweight MMA gold with third-round finish of Thanh Le

Tang Kai delivered on his promise to not let the judges decide the result of his world title rematch with Thanh Le after scoring a third-round TKO finish in the co-main event of ONE 166: Qatar this past Friday night inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

The fight started slow, with both men being technicians, but both men were unwilling to overcommit. Thus, it was a battle between Kai’s heavy pressure and the striking blitz of Le.

In the following round, the divisional king, China’s first-ever male MMA world champion, became more aggressive and started to hunt down the interim champion by stringing up combinations and marching forward with his elite boxing skills, which inflicted damage on Le’s nose.

Although the Vietnamese-American superstar fired back with his own powerful punches and kicks that also made Kai taste blood, the round was controlled by the defending world champion.

Things toned down a little bit in the third stanza, as Kai waited for Le to take his bait, while the Taekwondo specialist danced to the same beat. Sensing he needed to burst into action, the Sunkin International Fight Club representative went in for the spectacular, closing down the American-Vietnamese fighter with a looping right hand that instantly dropped Le on the canvas.

Kai immediately jumped on the former world champion and closed the show with ground-and-pound strikes in the tail-end of the third round to secure the victory and the additional $50,000 bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Official result: Tang Kai defeated Thanh Le via third-round TKO.