ONE Fight Night 15 preview and predictions: Thanh Le vs. Ilya Freymanov

With ONE featherweight MMA ruler Tang Kai still recuperating from injury, a new interim world champion will emerge from the ashes at ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov on Prime Video.

In the main event, two of the most lethal knockout artists in the 155-pound division will slug it out for all the marbles within the fabled halls of the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

Former featherweight MMA kingpin Thanh Le is on a quest to reclaim what’s his, a journey that has led him to a showdown with a proven Russian finisher.

Standing on the other side of the ring will be Ilya Freymanov, a cerebral assassin looking to spoil the party and set his own date with destiny with Tang Kai.

Styles absolutely make fights, and given both fighters’ penchant for finishing their opponents, the judges likely won’t be needed for this one.

Thanh Le boasts a 100 percent finishing rate, with 12 of his wins by KO/TKO and one via submission. Freymanov, on the other hand, is on a hot streak of his own, with his last five opponents not reaching the final bell.

This has all the makings of a classic slugfest, with the victor likely taking home a $50,000 performance bonus on top of 26 pounds of solid gold.

That said, the Sportskeeda MMA ONE Championship team has once again put on their thinking caps for this one and analyzed this guaranteed barnburner at ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6, live on US Primetime.

The full event is available free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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James De Rozario: Thanh Le by TKO

Le's striking has pushed him to some sensational wins on the global stage of ONE, and I expect that plot to maintain when he takes on Freymanov. He must be the orchestrator of the contest though if not, he'll risk giving this fight away to the ever-dangerous Russian. I see him dictating the stand-up exchange, slapping his opposite number with effective combinations that should force Freymanov to retaliate.

The Kuznya Fight Club athlete has some bite in his stand-up tools, but it simply wouldn't be enough to rock Le's granite chin. From there, I expect the two to scramble on the canvas, where the former kingpin should have the advantage of going for backtakes or simply pounding away at Freymanov. Eventually, what will tip the scales in favor of Le would be his experience, which should be enough to get him the win and a unification bout against Tang.

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Mike Murillo: Freymanov by submission in the third round

I see Freymanov taking this by submission but not after being challenged greatly by Thanh Le in the early goings. Both fighters are dangerous in the stand-up and are capable of finishing one another with a single blow if given an opening to do so. Russian Freymanov, however, will be smart enough to take the fight down to the ground, which I think is where he has an advantage as the fight progresses.

He will put Thanh Le in difficult positions, eventually overwhelming the veteran fighter and forcing him to tap out around the third round. Another thing, Thanh Le has not fought since losing the ONE strawweight world title in August last year. It is something that will work against him, especially vis-a-vis a younger opponent like Freymanov, who has the motor to go the full five rounds if needed.

The American-Vietnamese former champion has had an impressive run in ONE Championship, but a new force in the strawweight class in Freymanov has emerged, and the rest of the field should take notice.

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Ted Razon: Thanh Le by KO in the championship rounds

I don’t expect this fight to go the distance, and I foresee Thanh Le getting his hand raised with the belt on his shoulders by night’s end.

Ilya Freymanov will likely go guns blazing early on as he did with Martin Nguyen and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg. However, he won’t be able to capitalize on his long reach this time since the former champ is long and lanky as well and can throw bombs from the outside. I expect a back-and-forth affair in the first three rounds, with both fighters getting their licks in the striking department.

Given Le’s experience in high-stakes battles, I see him landing crisper combinations and smoother counterstrikes. If Freymanov’s chin holds up early on, I expect him to lose some steam in the championship rounds.

Although he rarely utilizes it, Le is a black belt in BJJ and won’t be a pushover if Freymanov initiates a grappling match. Plus, we saw the Russian get tagged by Zoltsetseg in his last bout but was able to survive and win using his underrated ground game.

Le, however, is a completely different animal who swarms his prey as soon as they get hurt. The former champ is the type to relentlessly pound his opponents to a pulp until the referee waves him off. Freymanov has a bright future ahead of him, but I don’t think he can withstand Le’s pressure this coming Friday.

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Vince Richards: Thanh Le via submission (armbar)

This bout fully deserves its place at the top of the ONE Fight Night 15 card. Thanh Le and Ilya Freymanov are incapable of putting on a slow fight, and I expect these two fighters to go swinging right from the opening bell.

That aggression, however, oftentimes invites danger and these should lead to dangerous openings for both fighters. Nevertheless, a ground battle between these two won’t end up in the dreaded lay-and-pray tactic that has plagued other promotions. Freymanov has already shown that he can finish opponents with his grappling, but I see Le’s methodical BJJ to come out on top in this one.

Yes, I know Le is a striker, but he’s already developed a BJJ game that he’s been hungry to show on the global stage. Once Freymanov’s wild swings leave him vulnerable to attack, Le will be there to capitalize and bring this fight to the ground. It might be a far-fetched take, but I see Le isolating an arm and securing an armbar finish.