Thanh Le all praise for Ilya Freymanov’s ‘impressive’ run in ONE: “He’ll be a good challenge for sure”

At ONE Fight Night 15, former ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le will meet the division’s other top contender.

On Friday, October 6 at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, an interim champion will be crowned in the absence of Tang Kai.

Having been previously set to face the champion in a rematch for the belt, Le now finds himself taking on the division’s other dangerous striker who is known for his finishing ability.

While Le may hold an advantage when it comes to high-level experience, time spent inside the circle, and championship pedigree, his opponent is looking to take his spot in the rankings.

Ilya Freymanov has injected new blood in the featherweight division since making his ONE Championship debut back at ONE Fight Night 2 in September last year.

Stopping former champion Martin Nguyen in the first round, the Russian contender made it back-to-back first-round finishes with his victory over Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg earlier this year.

With his two impressive performances on the global stage of ONE Championship, Freymanov has made an immediate impact at the top of the division and Le isn’t taking that for granted.

In an interview with From The Stands MMA, Thanh Le spoke about his impression of his upcoming opponent from what he has seen in his previous fights:

“He's done some really good things so far in his two fights with ONE and it's been impressive, so it's gonna be a fun challenge to be able to go up against him in every department. He’ll be a good challenge for sure.”

Watch the full interview below:

With both men’s high finishing rates, the main event on October 6 is sure to produce a shootout between two of the best gunslingers on the roster.

ONE Fight Night 15 will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.