“I think he was trying to scare me” - Tang Kai reacts to Thanh Le earning his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt

Tang Kai recently called out his rival, reigning featherweight king Thanh Le, for posting an image of himself on Instagram earning his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Tang believes that the only reason Le uploaded the image was to scare him.

Unimpressed by Le’s scare tactics, Tang Kai remains focused on the prize.

He told ONE:

“I think maybe him posting a photo of himself getting the black belt is part of his strategy. I think that he was trying to scare me into not doing my best in the striking, and like you said, we are both finishers. I believe he will try to finish this fight fast.”

Tang Kai is calling Le’s bluff. He knows that the fight will remain on the feet and not on the ground. Therefore, this is what the Chinese standout will mostly be focusing on during his training camp.

Tang Kai and Thanh Le are set to fight for the ONE featherweight world title in the co-main event at ONE 160. The event will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, August 26.

What makes this world title matchup such an enigma is the amount of similarities that the two fighters share.

The two featherweights are the exact same size, excellent counter-strikers with astonishingly high finishing rates, and methodical in their approaches, fighting at a quick pace without overcompensating.

The fight could be over quickly, but it’s also possible that they will respect each other enough to be more strategic. It’s a difficult fight to predict, and as the day approaches, fans are more excited than ever to see how the story will unfold.

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Thanh Le vs. Tang Kai is a potential ONE Championship Fight of the Year candidate

The featherweight showdown between reigning ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le and No.1-ranked contender Tang Kai is a battle between two of the most potent knockout punchers in the division.

Despite Le’s underrated ability to grapple, virtually no one will be expecting this fight to hit the mats. Fans fully anticipate an all-out striking battle on the feet from the sound of the opening bell, and almost nobody thinks this will go the distance.

ONE Championship prides itself on being an action and excitement-first martial arts organization, prioritizing thrilling finishes over boring decisions in fights. With this in mind, the Le vs. Tang showdown could easily wind up being one of the top candidates for 2022's MMA Fight of the Year.

The previous recipient of the award was the rematch between top lightweights Dagi Arslanaliev and Timofey Nastyukhin, who battered each other for three rounds at ONE: Winter Warriors in December 2021.