ONE 166 preview and predictions: Tang Kai vs. Thanh Le

Two of the most dangerous knockout artists in the featherweight MMA division, Tang Kai and Thanh Le, collide for the second time to unify their gold in the co-main event of ONE 166: Qatar.

Set for March 1 inside the Lusail Sports Arena, this rematch has been more than a year in the making, after Kai sat out of 2023 due to multiple injuries.

Despite the delay, both men are game to pun on a show and remind the watching world why they’re amongst the deadliest finishers in the martial arts sphere today.

On Tang Kai’s end, the Chinese powerhouse’s punching power and solid kicking game have helped him amass 13 knockouts from 17 victories. Le, meanwhile, has finished all 14 of his triumphs, 12 have come from the tip of his fists, feet, and elbows.

Though their last meeting at ONE 160 in August 2022 reached the judges’ scorecard, it was all-out action from bell to bell, with both men refusing to budge against one another’s striking prowess.

If that was anything to go by, fans will be in for another martial arts clinic when they meet in about 48 hours.

Before this hotly anticipated showdown, the Sportskeeda MMA team provides their expert analysis of this featherweight world title unification contest that gets underway in Qatar.

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Ted Razon: Tang Kai to beat Thanh Le via decision

In a night filled with epic rematches, Tang Kai and Thanh Le’s do-over is arguably the hardest one to predict. After all, these two world-class strikers are quite evenly matched, as evidenced by how their initial fight went.

Tang Kai got his hand raised last time out after methodically chopping down Le with a cerebral assault to his lower half for 25 minutes. I reckon the same game plan won’t fly this coming Friday, since Le will now start checking those stinging kicks.

However, the Chinese star’s impeccable timing and counterstriking should once again allow him to score in the judges’ eyes in the early rounds. Thanh Le will likely look for something big early and overextend with his strikes.

As long as Tang Kai avoids the line of fire, he’ll once again have the upper hand in these exchanges. The interim champ, though, has an ace up his sleeve and could decide to turn this into a grappling affair.

Then again, Tang Kai has managed to stay perfect in ONE with his sprawl and brawl style. His underrated grappling defense should come into play if Thanh Le decides to play footsie like he did against Ilya Freymanov.

I see this rematch being closer than their first meeting, but my money is still on Tang Kai. The 27-year-old is a high-IQ fighter who can adjust on the fly, and I see him outworking Thanh Le once more.

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Vince Richards: Thanh Le to beat Tang Kai via second-round submission

Thanh Le versus Tang Kai will be a promised barnburner waiting to be fulfilled.

The two lethal strikers will surely put on a Fight of the Year contender, but this slugfest will have an unexpected ending. Yes, Tang and Le are two of the best strikers in ONE Championship, but I feel this match will end on the ground and not on the feet.

The two are practically evenly matched in the striking department, but Le’s much-improved grappling will be the difference-maker in this ONE 166 showdown.

Le is far too crafty to get baited into another heated striking exchange with Tang Kai, and he’ll use his BJJ black belt to bring this fight to the ground and lock in an improbable submission.

The interim featherweight MMA king already showed his BJJ chops when he submitted Ilya Freymanov with a heel hook from out of nowhere.

Now, will Tang Kai fall prey to a heel hook? Absolutely not.

I’m aware that Tang already prepared for that, but Le has also upped his grappling arsenal heading into Qatar. Le’s striking will always be his biggest threat, but his strikes would just be that would allow him to sneak in a submission finish.

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Mike Murillo: Thanh Le to beat Tang Kai via third-round KO

I expect this contest to be a barnburner of a showdown between two of the best featherweights in the game.

We saw how competitive their first encounter was in August 2022 and there is every reason to believe that their title rematch this week will go the same way.

But unlike the first one, where Thanh Le was edged out by a unanimous decision, I see him this time around winning by knockout in the third round and regaining his standing as world champion in the division.

While for sure the defeat he absorbed from Tang Kai previously stung, I believe it also benefitted his game at this stage of his illustrious career.

It allowed him to assess where his skills are currently, what works and what does not, while also developing new ones which only made him a more potent fighter.

The loss, too, ignited an added spark in him to continue competing at a high level and we saw that in his last fight, where he made short work of Russian sensation Ilya Freymanov by submission in the opening round.

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James De Rozario: Tang Kai to beat Thanh Le via third-round KO

Tang Kai and Thanh Le share a lot of similarities with one another. But the Chinese megastar’s precision, power, and ability to sneak in a big finish could power him to a more decisive victory when they open a new chapter in their rivalry.

It wouldn’t come easy for the Sunkin International Fight Club affiliate, who has power for days and intelligence, to go with his crisp punches. Le will weave into enemy territory with a bit more caution, possibly trying to cut angles to force Kai to miss more than he connects.

The 27-year-old isn’t a one-trick pony, though. Instead of working behind one-twos, the Chinese star will probably feint for a takedown and throw in an overhand or an uppercut if he gets Le in proximity.

Kai rarely misses from there, but at the same time, he will be up against a very effective counterpuncher and grappling wizard in Le.

As seen in their previous fights, the Taekwondo specialist will not be a mere static target, and he’ll chip in with some shots and a shoot to switch levels to knock some wind off Tang Kai’s sail.

But when the 50/50 and MidCity MMA affiliate takes Kai’s bait and gets crafty in attack, I see the featherweight MMA king going in for the kill off a punch and a bucketload of strikes to close out the show with a 15th highlight-reel finish.