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ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le will be defending his belt against a man who mirrors his style.
His challenger at ONE 160, Tang Kai, eerily resembles Le's ferocious punching power. Just think of this: Le has a 13-2 record while Tang has 14-2. Both have 12 knockouts. Aside from an extra win for the challenger, it doesn't get any more identical than that.
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In an interview with online MMA show From the Stands MMA, the ONE featherweight king spoke about how he finds Tang's fighting style similar to his.
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Thanh Le said:
"He's [Tang] a very good striker, he's got good movement on the feet, he kinda plays a version of my game. So it's very interesting to see that type of matchup and that type of skill set. I'm confident that the time I've put in, the years that I've put in are gonna get me to that point where I can defend this belt successfully."
When two knockout artists collide, the winning side is usually determined not by KO power, but by something else. Usually, it's on the side of those who have a stronger chin, since both already have the power to shut the lights off in an instant.
In MMA, it's a lot more nuanced. The ground game and grappling can ultimately make the difference between the two. Both aren't known for their grappling prowess, but if one of them shows any intention of going to the ground, it might bring the tide to his favor.
How the road led to ONE 160: Thanh Le vs. Tang Kai
The road to ONE 160: Le vs. Tang is paved with many concussions. Serving as the co-main event of the August 26 event, Thanh Le and Tang Kai will show us what happens when two nuclear warheads collide.
Le has been on a tear since debuting in ONE, knocking out every opponent en route to winning the belt. In his latest world title defense, Le viciously knocked out the man most considered to be his toughest challenge: grappling icon Garry Tonon. He did so while defending Tonon's ferocious leglock attacks.
As for Tang, the Chinese dynamo is on a six-fight winning streak, with his last three outings ending by way of knockout. In his latest performance, Tang ended his rivalry with Kim Jae Woong with a picture-perfect left hook that flat-lined the Korean at ONE X.
It's as if their paths we made to converge. Thanh Le vs. Tang Kai for the ONE featherweight world title will surely be a banger.
