“You’ve got to keep the division going” – Thanh Le understands the need for an interim belt in Tang Kai’s absence 

Thanh Le is ready to take advantage of the opportunity to once again become a ONE world champion.

Returning to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Le will step into the main event spotlight for an interim ONE featherweight world title clash with Russian standout Ilya Freymanov. The bout comes more than a year after Thanh Le’s unanimous decision loss to Tang Kai at ONE 160.

Le surrendered the ONE featherweight championship that night, but Tang is yet to defend the title, leaving the promotion with no choice but to establish an interim title.

Speaking with ONE about his upcoming contest and the institution of an interim belt in Tang Kai’s absence, Le said:

“You’ve got to keep the division going. You’ve got to keep the title fights going to keep everything moving. Because having it stale for a year plus is an issue for the company and for us [contenders] lingering at the top.

Prior to his loss against Tang Kai last year, Thanh Lee had scored five straight knockouts inside the Circle, including victories over division staples like Martin ‘The Situ-Asian’ Nguyen and ‘The Lion Killer’ Garry Tonon. The former featherweight king will look to bounce back and once again take home 26 pounds of gold on Friday night.

That will be easier said than done when he meets one of the division’s most dangerous contenders.

Ilya Freymanov will make his third walk to the Circle inside the Mecca of Muay Thai, having already earned notable wins against the aforementioned Martin Nguyen and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg. Like his ONE Fight Night 14 opponent, Freymanov boasts a 100% finish rate in ONE.

Will Thanh Le add another highlight-reel knockout to his resume, or will Ilya Freymanov snag another slick submission en route to his first ONE world title?

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 15 live and for free in U.S. primetime on October 6.