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Thanh Le may have earned his black belt in jiu-jitsu, but Tang Kai is not even worried about his upcoming opponent’s latest accolade.
The pair will square off for the ONE featherweight world title at ONE 160 on August 26 inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
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Le has constantly worked on his grappling in an effort to become a complete fighter, especially as he prepared to face jiu-jitsu phenom Garry Tonon in his last match. Shortly after his latest win, the Vietnamese-American received his BJJ black belt from Ryan Hall.
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However, Tang Kai doesn’t seem impressed or intimidated by the achievement. During a virtual press conference for ONE 160, the surging Chinese featherweight said that Le needs to take him to the ground first before his grappling prowess can be a threat to him.
Tang Kai said:
“I know he recently got his black belt in jiu-jitsu, but I don’t worry about that. It’s impossible to take me down. He has to take me down first to submit me, and that’s not going to happen. I will counter him with strikes, and you’ll see what will happen.”
Thanh Le faces another specialist in Tang Kai
In his second world title defense, Thanh Le will be facing another dangerous striker in Tang Kai.
Le was able to make quick work of submission specialist Garry Tonon earlier this year, knocking out the grappling icon in the first round of their matchup. Now, the 36-year-old will have to overcome a knockout artist in Tang.
The Sunkin International Fight Club product racked up eight knockouts before arriving in ONE Championship. Tang then proceeded to win all six of his fights in the promotion; four by way of knockout.
He dethroned the former top contender, Kim Jae Woong, with a devastating combo at ONE X that not only got him a US $50,000 bonus, but also a shot at the ONE featherweight world championship as well.
Thanh Le will not only look to protect his world title, but his undefeated ONE Championship run as well. The Vietnamese-American has knocked out all five of his opponents in the circle, and believes his fight with Tang will not go the distance either.
