Thanh Le says he'd like to train with Garry Tonon after their fight

Thanh Le and Garry Tonon have gotten to know each other quite well in recent months. The pair are set to go head-to-head at ONE: Lights Out on Friday, as Le defends his lightweight belt for the first time since being crowned champion in October 2020.

They've now participated in several media interviews together with the bout previously scheduled for December last year. There is clearly mutual respect between the two fighters. Interestingly, Le sees himself getting some rounds in with his opponent when all is said and done.

The champ was asked if he saw himself developing a rivalry with Tonon and potentially having another fight in the future. In response, he said:

"I focus more on the other side of things. I get to go in there and knock him out or he chokes me unconcious. And maybe later I reach out and we can go train together. But I'm always looking to be the best version of myself, I don't hold grudges for anything."

He added:

"We're in there doing a job because we're both really good and dangerous mixed martial artists. A rivalry? I don't know about that. They usually don't do rematches on a finish and this isn't going to a decision."

The TUF alum might be onto something there. He has never seen a fight go the distance and 11 of his 12 victories have been knockouts. It'll be interesting to see how things play out when he locks horns with Tonon.

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Thanh Le hails Ryan Hall influence

Thanh Le befriended UFC featherweight Ryan Hall when they were on The Ultimate Fighter season 22 in 2015. Hall is recognized as one of the best Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners in MMA and has been training with Le ahead of the ONE champion's clash with Garry Tonon.

Speaking about his relationship with Hall, Le said:

"If you zoom in, they [Hall and Tonon] don't grapple similarly at all, but if you zoom out enough they've got similar ideas and attacks. It's a huge advantage to have a buddy of mine who's also really, really, really good. [But] the responsibility doesn't fall on Ryan to show me how to beat Garry. It falls on me."

Having recovered from a prolonged injury during his hiatus, Thanh Le appears to be in full health and is raring to go. He even suggested that he was keen to stay in Singapore and take on another challenger if all goes according to plan against Tonon.