ONE 160 preview and predictions: Thanh Le vs. Tang Kai

While the main event for ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II rightfully deserves its place atop the card, the other world title fight between Thanh Le and Tang Kai is sure to bring out the fireworks.

Le will defend his ONE featherweight world title against Tang, who’s been surging through the field, this Friday, August 26, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Both fighters hold perfect records in ONE Championship, but one of those zeroes will surely get dropped in this match of heavy-handed strikers at ONE 160.

Le is 5-0 in the organization, with all of his wins coming by way of knockout. His most recent fight lasted less than a minute after he slept grappling ace Garry Tonon this past March at ONE: Lights Out.

Tang, meanwhile, is 6-0 and is on a streak of three straight first-round finishes. The No.1-ranked featherweight contender forcefully took his spot atop the rankings after he bludgeoned Kim Jae Woong at ONE X.

With that said, here's what Sportskeeda MMA's ONE Championship team thinks will happen at ONE 160.

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Atilano Diaz: Tang Kai via first-round KO

I'd like to think Thanh Le takes this with his precision striking and more strategic approach to fighting, but it's hard to deny that Tang Kai can turn his lights out with just one punch. Thanh will use his movement to stifle Tang, like he always does. But the Chinese fighter's speed is the X-factor. This is a true pick'em fight. That being said, I know who's going to win, and it's the guy who lands the first clean shot.

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Ben Imperial: Thanh Le via second-round TKO

I think this has got to be no less than the third most exciting pairing in this massive ONE Championship weekend. Thanh Le and Tang Kai are certified finishers, and there’s absolutely no way this fight goes to the scorecards.

I think both fighters will be surprised at just how strong the other hits, because there’s no amount of game tape they can watch to prepare them for the real thing. That said, I think Thanh will find his composure early on, much like he did in the Garry Tonon fight, and get a second-round TKO with a knee to the face.

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Duane Lucas Pascua: Thanh Le via KO

Tang will be constantly hunting for the kill shot, which will then open him up to Le’s sniper-like counter punching. Le will dance around Tang early as he knows that the Chinese fighter will come after him with every KO strike in his arsenal.

Once the Vietnamese-American world champion sees his opening, he will land a counter that will put Tang to sleep. It could happen in the first or the fifth round. Rest assured, however, this ONE 160 fight will not see the final round.

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James De Rozario: Tang Kai via KO

I expect Tang Kai to flourish in this chess battle between two excellent strikers. Thanh Le might think that he has the Chinese star in his pockets, but he will be in for a rude awakening as soon as this match gets underway. Both men will unload from the get-go and Tang might just slip in an early head kick, which could separate the featherweight king from his senses at ONE 160.

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Vince Richards: Thanh Le via submission

The world title fight between Thanh Le and Tang Kai was built up as a matchup between two master strikers, but don’t be surprised if this one ends in a grappling exchange at ONE 160. Le recently obtained his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and he might very well use his newfound expertise against Tang at ONE 160.

Tang, too, is prone to using his wrestling when he gets an opportunity, but Le might just use that to pull the No.1 contender into his guard and pull off his first submission win.

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SK MMA consensus: 3-2 Thanh Le