“He’s going to sleep early” – Thanh Le vows to take out rival Tang Kai in one round at ONE 166

ONE interim featherweight MMA world champion Thanh Le has vowed to sleep divisional king Tang Kai in one round at ONE 166.

Since surrendering his belt to the Chinese striker more than a year ago, Thanh Le has made it his mission to bounce back stronger than before.

With an interim belt on his shoulder now, Le intends to run back the clock and regain his status as the true champion with another highlight-reel finish on March 1.

This week, he told ONE Championship:

“I’ll be honest with you. If we make it out of the first round, I’ll be surprised. He’s going to sleep, and he’s going to sleep early.”

In their first encounter at ONE 160, Tang pulled off a massive upset in dethroning Le via unanimous decision. It was such a huge disappointment for Le and his team, after having made headlines in his first world title defense against BJJ superstar Garry Tonon a few months prior.

But Le is back in full throttle. He put Tang Kai on notice this past October with a spectacular first-round submission finish over Russia’s Ilya Freymanov at ONE Fight Night 15 to win the ONE interim featherweight MMA world title.

---

Thanh Le says he’s in the best shape he’s ever been at 38 years of age

While most 38 year-old fighters are planning their retirement, Thanh Le is out there planning his next world title reign.

For the most part of his career, the Vietnamese-American veteran has always been known as the older guy in fights. But that hasn’t stopped Le from pursuing excellence in the sport he loves.

We’ve seen only the best from Le yet as well as his greatest knockouts since he joined ONE Championship in 2019. And with a unification bout pending, 38 is just another number.

He told ONE:

“No question, I’m the best version of myself at this stage in my career. I’m 38, and I feel the best I’ve ever felt. I’m the fastest, healthiest, and most mentally strong.”

ONE 166: Qatar will air live on March 1 free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada