"The longer I get to prepare for somebody, the worse it is for them" - Thanh Le excited to be at his best form against Garry Tonon

Thanh Le and Garry Tonon are set to headline ONE: Lights Out on March 11. The ONE featherweight world champion is just excited to be at his best for the fight.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Le shared the biggest challenges he’s had to face since winning the world title back at October 2020’s ONE: Inside the Matrix:

“It’s been tough dealing with some injuries, obviously. I had to have a few surgeries after the last fight to get this finger fixed, that’s all fixed up, back to normal and ready to fight, train, all that good stuff. So we finally had camp back up and going. It’s a fight that was supposed to happen late last year, that got pushed back, and then finally we’re back into it.”

Catch the full interview below:

Thanh Le and ‘The Lion Killer’ have been on a collision course for over a year. However, the fight has had many cancelations and postponements.

During the broadcast of the promotion’s first event of the year, ONE: Heavy Hitters, it was revealed that Le and Tonon would headline the March 11 event.

Despite the delays, Le believes that it worked to both of their advantages and is looking forward to their collision in the Circle:

“It’s had its ups and downs but man, I love what I do, I love this job, so the longer I get to do it, the better, right? And then the longer I get to prepare for somebody, the worse it is for them. I’m sure Garry feels the same way, so it’s really cool to be able to get the best Garry in that Circle and he’s definitely going to get the best Thanh. I’m excited to see how it turns out.”

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Garry Tonon keeps Thanh Le motivated

Delays can be daunting for a fighter. However, Thanh Le believes that Garry Tonon is made from the same mold as he is, which makes it easier for him to stay motivated.

“I just train all through the year and I know Garry’s a life-long martial artist and he kind of does the same thing. He might boost some things up for camp like I do, but he trains consistently that it’s not hard to get motivated for, especially if you have dangerous guy in front of you. You should be going through the same thing, more time to get better in your certain skill level that you’re trying to build, more time to develop little games and little strategies that you’re trying to implement in the fight.”

Both Le and Tonon have a knack for finishing opponents, albeit via different methods. The Vietnamese-American champion employs his incredible striking power to stop his opponents, while Tonon’s grappling prowess makes him a dangerous foe on the ground.

At ONE: Lights Out, they will be able to showcase the results of what could be their longest training camps for a single opponent.