ONE Championship featherweight champion Tang Kai and interim champ Thanh Le will have a rematch and title unification bout at ONE 166, scheduled to take place in Qatar on March 1.
Alright, so here’s the scoop. Tang Kai, the reigning featherweight champ of ONE Championship, is set to face interim champ Thanh Le. It’s a rematch, folks, and it’s all about title unification. The showdown’s happening at ONE 166.
Now, here’s the kicker. This fight’s set for March 1 in Qatar. And guess what? You can catch it live in the U.S. on ONEFC.com. This isn’t their first rodeo, though. They’ve clashed before, over a year ago.
In that first encounter, Tang came out on top. He snagged a unanimous decision over Le, securing his spot as the ONE featherweight champion. That win? It was part of a hot streak for Tang. He’s been on a roll with 10 straight wins, including seven in a row in ONE. But hey, injuries happen. They’ve kept him from defending his title.
But Tang’s been out of the game since August 2022. So, what did ONE do? They moved forward with an interim title fight. And guess who came out on top? Thanh Le. He submitted Ilya Freymanov last October, reclaiming a piece of his former glory.
Le’s record? It’s impressive. He’s 6-1 overall in ONE. But there’s a blemish. His only loss came at the hands of Kai. It’s a setback, but he’s ready for a rematch.
So, what’s next? Kai and Le are gearing up for round two. It’s part of the ONE 166 card. And there’s more. The card also features middleweight champ Reinier de Ridder. He’s defending his belt against Anatoly Malykhin, ONE’s heavyweight and light heavyweight champion. Malykhin’s got his sights set on becoming a three-division champ. Let’s see how this plays out, shall we?