Thanh Le will step into the ONE circle for his second ONE featherweight world title defense in the co-main event at “ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II” on August 26, where he’ll be facing arguably China’s most dangerous MMA fighter.
The Vietnamese-American will put his gold on the line against fellow knockout artist Tang Kai that evening. The Chinese dynamo has a similar style and record to the world champion, meaning Le has to remain careful and aware throughout the five-round firefight.
Le has used his deep-rooted knowledge of taekwondo and other striking arts to cement his position at the top of the stacked featherweight division, and he is used to overcoming difficult challenges.
That said, here’s three tools the Vietnamese-American kingpin could use against his lethal foe on August 26.
1. Distance management
Both men will open up like a house on fire as soon as their co-main event showdown gets underway. But Le’s patience when attacking from the outside could be one of his go-to tools against his opponent, who excels in close-range fights.
Le might be slightly shorter than Tang, and on paper, it would be wise for him to trim the distance and pounce. But he knows that he needs to avoid getting into unwanted exchanges, as his Chinese rival is good at getting lucky with his wild punches.
While other fighters tend to rely on feints and their jabs to measure the distance, Le often uses his kicks to set him up for some nasty highlight-reel finishes.
He would be smart to allow Tang to be the aggressor in this World Championship tilt. And when he is done assessing the situation and measuring his attacking range, the divisional king can come in strong to test his opponent’s chin with his striking tools.
2. Precision and attacking fuel tank
Tang has shown multiple facets of his striking dexterity in his tenure at ONE. Huge combinations, one-punch knockout power, and the ability to outstrike and punish rivals until the final bell has pushed him to a perfect 6-0 run inside the Circle.
Le has displayed similar abilities, and he has finished all five of his matches during his promotional run with a knockout. So, this tussle could boil down to which man has the energy to engage in a stand-up war longer, and whose precision is better overall.
The World Champion has mean side kicks, and he is usually very accurate. Tang might be a tough target to catch, given how light he is on the feet, but if Le can slow him down with kicks, he may stand a better chance to land with more precision.
However, if Tang doesn’t slow down, Le could be in for a puzzling striking war – and that is when it could come down to who wants it more.
3. Grappling skill
This is one trait that Le rarely relies on. But based on past performances, the Louisiana resident has a decent understanding of grappling exchanges.
He can stuff takedowns against aggressive ground specialists, as seen in his first World Title defense against BJJ star Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon. Le finished the grappling machine with strikes on the mat in the opening round to retain his gold. He can also play from guard or top mount to set up heavy ground-and-pound attacks.
Le’s grappling will be put under pressure against Tang, who began his career as a wrestler before switching to MMA.
In the all-encompassing sport, Tang has built a reputation as a stand-up fighter, but he used his wrestling and BJJ knowledge to punish Edward Kelly in his second promotional outing in November 2019, so Le will be kept on his toes if the fight moves to the canvas.
