“This could be the toughest fight of my whole career” - Tang Kai on facing Thanh Le at ONE 160

ONE Championship’s No.1-ranked featherweight contender Tang Kai is gearing up for the biggest fight of his career. On August 26, Tang will get his first shot at ONE gold when he faces reigning ONE featherweight champion Thanh Le at ONE 160.

Debuting under the ONE banner in 2019, the Chinese-born Tang has amassed an impressive run in the ONE circle, which consists of six straight victories. The Chinese fighter hopes to keep that streak alive against his toughest test to date.

If Tang is victorious in his world title bid, he will be the first Chinese fighter to become a world champion in mixed martial arts. During a ONE 160 virtual press conference, Tang discussed his excitement for the upcoming contest and stressed the importance of winning, not just for himself, but for his country.

“I am so excited. If I get this victory, if that happened [and I won], I will be the first male [mixed martial arts] world champion from China. That would mean a lot for me and the whole community.”

While confident, Tang Kai recognizes that Le is a very skilled fighter that presents a serious challenge.

“I know my opponent Thanh Le is a very tough fighter. This could be the toughest fight of my whole career. But I’m ready, and I’m full of confidence. Like I said, this is a must-win fight for me.”

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Tang Kai suggests that Thanh Le should consider retirement, Le responds

Ahead of their clash at ONE 160 in August, defending world champion Thanh Le and his challenger Tang Kai faced off in a virtual media conference.

During the discussion, Tang suggested that Le, who is 36 years old, should consider retirement at this point in his life.

“I respect him a lot, but he’s also 36 years old. I think he should really be considering retirement. This could be his retirement fight maybe. He has a beautiful family – after this one, he should go back to them and have a normal life.”

In response, Thanh Le let his opponent know that reading into his age and making assumptions about his physical and mental stability could very well be Tang’s downfall.

“Physically and mentally I feel really good, and I think that’s going to be the downfall of a lot of people to come and try to take this belt. On paper I’m a little older, slower, might not be able to train as much. I’ve been doing this so long maybe my body hurts. But we’ll step into the ring and we’ll see how slow and how things come out this body.”

Fans can catch all the action at ONE 160 live at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, with tickets on presale soon.