“That could be the end of it” - Thanh Le admits he could get KO’d if he gets hit clean by Tang Kai

Thanh Le steps back into the circle at ONE 160 on August 26 to defend his bantamweight world title against No. 1 contender and dangerous Chinese striker Tang Kai.

After capturing ONE gold from Martin Nguyen at ONE: Inside the Matrix last year, Le successfully defended his title for the first time against submission grappling icon Garry Tonon in March. It only took Le 56 seconds to put away ‘The Lion Killer.’ The Vietnamese-American has looked practically unstoppable in his undefeated run under the ONE banner, but that could all change when he faces Kai in ONE 160’s co-main event.

In an interview with Combat Press, Thanh Le discussed his upcoming showdown with the Chinese challenger and acknowledged that Kai’s power could end things early if he’s not careful.

“I think the safety difference between being touched and not getting touched, I think, is going make the difference. Obviously, if he lands a clean punch early in the fight, that could be the end of it.”

Confident in his own skills inside the circle, Le believes the bout will come down to who remains disciplined and who better implements their game plan.

“And, we know all it takes are one or two punches from me and same. So, I think it all boils down to who can remain disciplined and make their skills matter most throughout the early goings of the fight.”

Watch the fight preview below:

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Thanh Le discusses his emphasis on defense versus Tang Kai’s in-your-face offense

As the saying goes, the offense gets the glory, but the defense wins the game. Thanh Le hopes that statement proves to be accurate on August 26 when he faces an in-your-face striker with serious knockout power.

While much has been said about Kai’s power, Le is certainly no slouch in the striking game. He has finished all five of his ONE opponents thus far via knockout. Where the difference lies is Le’s emphasis on being defensive rather than headhunting. Speaking to Combat Press, Le discussed his focus on defense during training camp leading up to the ONE 160 clash.

“I think I’ve put a little more time into my defensive positioning and my ability to be touched throughout a fight. I think he’s put a little bit more focus on going offensively to find those contacts. We’ll see how it plays out obviously. He’s got a little more points than me in the offensive, go-get-’em department, and I’ve got a little more points in my defensive, you-can’t-touch-me department. I guess we’ll see how that plays out.”

With a combined 8 knockouts in 11 total fights between the two, it would be a smart bet that someone’s lights will go out on August 26.