“The respect will go away” – Tang Kai ready to put it all on the line in world title rematch against Thanh Le

The level of respect that reigning ONE featherweight MMA world champion Tang Kai has for former world champion Thanh Le is massive, but he is putting it aside when the cage is locked for their upcoming rematch at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1 inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

Kai revealed this during his most recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA he and Le co-headline the historic event on Friday.

The Chinese world champion stated:

“Now that we are outside of the circle, I definitely respect him. But when I step into the circle, the respect will go away. As I said, my goal is to knock him out inside the circle, and that’s the only goal in there. No respect inside the circle.”

See the full interview below:

In their previous meeting in August 2022 at ONE 160, the Sunkin International Fight Club athlete halted Le’s winning streak in ONE Championship and ended his reign as the division’s king by beating him unanimously.

Prior to that career-defining victory over the Vietnamese-American superstar, Tang Kai had strung up six consecutive wins, including four TKO/KO finishes, to rightfully challenge for the 26-pound golden belt.

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Tang Kai looks back at the incredible hero’s welcome in China after world title triumph

Once the 27-year-old landed in his home country of China following his world title breakthrough in 2022, he was warmly welcomed by his countrymen, who were proud of his achievement by becoming the first male Chinese MMA fighter to capture a world title.

With all of the support he received, Tang Kai wants to replicate his incredible performance against Le and reassert his mastery over him to continue his reign as the world’s best featherweight and keep his pro record unblemished.

ONE 166: Qatar is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America on March 1.