ONE Championship: China’s Tang Kai promises to show an ‘upgraded version’ of himself at ONE 166
- Tang returns to the ring for the first time in 18 months, and will defend his featherweight title against Thanh Le
- The pair clashed in 2022, when Tang won after five brutal rounds, with Le now holding the interim title
The last time fight fans saw Tang Kai was in 2022, when he beat Thanh Le to become the ONE Championship featherweight champion.
Knee issues have kept him out of action ever since, but after 18 months sitting on the sidelines he at ONE 166 this Friday to face Le in a title rematch.
And despite being unbeaten in his seven fights before getting injured, Tang said he had made some big improvements during his extended absence, which he put down to having a new team around him.
“I hope that the fans will be able to see a different me, a fully upgraded version,” he said.
Keen to be back to his best, Tang has enlisted the help of coaches and sparring partners from an area which has produced some of the best mixed martial artists of the modern era.
“Our new coaching team comes from Dagestan, Russia, and focuses more on simple and practical fighting styles,” Tang said. “The seamless transition from striking to the ground is the strength of the Russian style of fighting.”
Le is known for his striking skills, but it was the American’s ground game that was on display last time out as he submitted Ilya Freymanov with a first round heel hook to win the interim version of the featherweight title.
Kai clearly watched that fight and thinks there is more to his opponent’s game than he initially realised, but he dismissed any suggestions that he would have to rethink his entire approach.
“My preparations have always been comprehensive, and of course I will not change all my strategy because of a heel hook,” he said. “I don’t think it really matters because the heel hook is not very complex, and anyone can do it.”
Having been out of the fray for so long, Kai is happy to be co-headlining such a big event, and is eager to give a good account of himself.
“I really appreciate that ONE will choose to present my first title defence on such an important card, and I will live up to the expectations of the global audience for this title fight,”
The first fight went the distance with Kai getting the better of Le after five hard-fought rounds, he doesn’t expect this fight to go that long.
“Don’t blink,” he said. “I’ll KO him very soon.”
