“It did throw a little monkey wrench in the situation” - Thanh Le says Tang Kai’s style threw him off

Thanh Le broke his silence about his recent loss to Tang Kai. The former champion admitted that Tang’s style really threw him off right from the get-go at ONE 160.

Losing his belt by decision was a tough pill to swallow for the former ONE featherweight world champion. Le had his moments inside the ring, but it seemed like he had a difficult time finding his footing.

Speaking to From the Stands, the Vietnamese-American admitted that Tang Kai’s fighting style and strategy really threw him in a loop. Now that Le’s rewatched the fight, he’ll make the right adjustments before a rematch is announced:

“He hardly took a step forward, so it did throw a little monkey wrench in the situation it created but obviously, next time we go with him, we stay away from his dangerous weapons, which are going to be the same ones. His lead left hook, his lead left kick, those are all very, very dangerous weapons. He's very good, sharp with those. And he's got good timing with those things. And we want to make sure our entries, our approaches, and the way we close distance won't allow him to do what he does best."

This was the first time in a long time, that Thanh Le experienced this kind of trouble inside the ring. Since joining ONE Championship in May 2019, Le has been a menace to the featherweight division, single-handedly finishing all five of his competitors by way of knockouts.

His most memorable KO was against Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Garry Tonon, whom he finished within seconds after the start of the first bell. Despite his loss, Thanh Le remains one of the most dangerous strikers on the roster.

The idea that he’ll regroup and come after the belt again will make anyone in Tang Kai’s position a little nervous.

Catch the full interview below:

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Thanh Le calls loss “a hiccup” as he prepares for a banging 2023

Thanh Le isn’t less motivated just because he lost. Taking the hits as well as the glory, Le intends on recapturing his belt. So as far as he can tell, Tang Kai is only taking care of it for the time being.

On Instagram, Thanh Le shared a direct quote from the same interview with From the Stands, detailing his big plans for the new year:

“This is just a hiccup in the path to success. We’re gonna go back, get that belt, defend it a couple of times, do what we need to do in that division to make sure we’re at the top of the mountain. Then we can start taking a look at lightweight.”

Check out the Instagram post below: