"That ring rust might be there" – Martin Nguyen says Tang Kai’s inactivity could cost him against "smarter" Thanh Le

Former two-weight world champion Martin Nguyen is one of the most experienced competitors who calls ONE Championship home.

Ahead of his huge featherweight contest, he is also looking ahead to the title unification that is set to take place at ONE 166: Qatar between Tang Kai and interim champ Thanh Le.

The question on a lot of people’s minds is how Le will adapt and learn from his first meeting with his upcoming opponent, which saw him lose his title in convincing fashion.

In an interview with From The Stands, Nguyen said that he expects to see a better Le this time around now that he has learned from the experience.

He also stated that the Chinese champion being out since winning the belt against Le could be another factor that puts the advantage towards the interim champion:

“Le is going to come in a lot much smarter, not as frustrated as he was the first time. Obviously, he's trying to look for the KO, but he must try not to just, you know, force it and whatnot. Tang Kai has been out for over 12 months, not to say that he hasn't been training, but still, I feel that that ring rust might be there.”

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Martin Nguyen will have one eye on getting revenge on Thanh Le

Before he can get carried away with his title aspirations, Martin Nguyen has a big task in front of him at ONE 165 on January 28.

The former champion will take on number one contender Garry Tonon in a huge fight for the top five rankings at featherweight.

Given his stance on the title unification taking place on March 1, Nguyen could be targeting a rematch with Le for the world championship if he is successful against Tonon.

Le brought Nguyen’s featherweight title reign to an end in October of 2020 and you can bet that ‘The Situ-Asian’ believes that he has a score to settle.

ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.