Tang Kai eyes knockout against Kim Jae Woong - “You laugh now, but I will make you cry”

Tang Kai wants to have the last laugh against ‘The Fighting God’ Kim Jae Woong when the pair meet in their featherweight MMA contest on Friday, 28 January.

In an interview with ONE Championship earlier this week, Kim, the top-ranked featherweight athlete, said that he views his match against the No.4-ranked featherweight at ONE: Only the Brave as a mere warm-up fight.

Tang Kai recently responded to the Extreme Combat and Top Gym BF star’s claims. He sternly warned the South Korean that he will knock him off his perch and make sure he leaves the Circle in tears.

Speaking to ONE, he shared:

“If you think our fight is a warm-up, you should be careful because I’m sure you’ll lose inside the Circle. I will make him regret saying those words that underestimate me. You laugh now, but I will make you cry and I will let the world know [of] my existence. I will KO Kim Jae Woong as soon as possible and take away his world championship challenge.”

The Qingdao native boasts an accomplished 13-2 professional slate and enters this bout full of confidence. The 26-year-old has been on an eight-fight win streak, with his last defeat coming almost five years ago by decision.

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Tang Kai aims to make it 3-0 against South Korean fighters

The Chinese superstar made his promotional debut against South Korean grappling expert Sung Jong Lee at ONE: Hero’s Ascent in January 2019.

The Sunkin International Fight Club standout’s fists and kicks punished Sung in the first five minutes. 74 seconds into the second round, he connected with an inch-perfect head kick that left his rival lying with his face on the canvas.

At ONE: NextGen II last year, he sent Yoon Chang Min crashing to the mat with a left hook. In doing so, he upped his finishing rate to 85 percent.

He is now confident that he can achieve a similar result against ‘The Fighting God’ next Friday.

Tang Kai told ONE:

“Kim Jae Woong is the third South Korean I met in my career. The first two have been knocked out by me and they were no less than Kim Jae Woong. I said I’d KO Yoon Chang Min. I did it. I want to say to fans and everyone around the world that I do what I say. When I say I will win by knockout, it must be a knockout. Never be vague and don’t say empty words.”

We'll see if Tang Kai can prove himself right on Friday, January 28.