“He’s just a number on a piece of paper” - Thanh Le views Tang Kai as just another opponent in his way

Thanh Le is as quick on the microphone as he is on the feet. Without hesitation, the Vietnamese-American star quickly dismissed his next challenger Tang Kai as just another name on his resume.

The ONE featherweight world champion will defend his belt against the Chinese monster at ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II on Friday, July 22. The event is set to be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

During a ONE 160 virtual rress conference, Le said that Tang is just another victim waiting to be knocked out inside the circle.

Thanh Le said:

“Whoever is the next guy in line, he’s just a number on a piece of paper. He’s the next guy we prepare for and try to knock out. Whoever it is after him, we’ll do the same.”

The featherweight king has been on a tear in his ONE Championship tenure, knocking opponents out left, right, and center. Le is on a five-fight knockout streak, with Garry Tonon the latest to fall victim to his sledgehammer fists.

Le needed less than a minute to put Tonon to sleep in his most recent world title defense this past March, finishing the submission grappling icon just 56 seconds into the first round of their bout.

Tonon, considered one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world, had control of Le’s right leg but overcommitted on an ill-advised submission attempt that proved futile. Maintaining his balance despite Tonon’s grip, Le rained down heavy shots from above, ultimately putting ‘The Lion Killer’ to sleep.

It may be considered a quick turnaround since his last bout, but Le takes pride in never being one to turn down fights.

“You’ll never not once see me turn down [a fight]. We did our part. ONE did their part. Now we’re all good and August 26th, we’re good to go.”

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Thanh Le tests his legacy against Tang Kai

Thanh Le’s legacy will be put to the test when he takes on the equally heavy-handed Tang in the co-main event of ONE 160.

While Le has been on a maddening winning streak, Tang is also on a frenzied run of his own.

Tang is 6-0 in ONE Championship, with four of those wins coming by way of knockout. The No.1 featherweight contender is also coming off the biggest win of his career yet, when he knocked out previous top-ranked featherweight Kim Jae Woong in the first round of their match at ONE X.

The Chinese mauler brutalized Kim with a vicious left cross that ultimately led to the match being stopped 2:07 into the first round.