Thanh Le’s Redemption Road

“I think that this is going to be my best performance,” Thanh Le told @JL_Kirven. “That paired with the fact that I’ve seen him already for five rounds means you can call in for an early night. It’s going to be a Round 1 or Round 2 KO.”#ONE166 at 7:30 a.m. ET on @PrimeVideo 🇺🇸🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/Pmjo9NyMQO

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) February 29, 2024

Thanh Le may be ONE Championship’s interim featherweight titleholder, but in his eyes, the belt is no more than a decoration.

“It looks good on the shelf, and that’s about it,” he told Sherdog.com. “It’s not the belt. [Kai Tang has] got my belt, and I want it back—plain and simple.”

Le has waited patiently since August 2022 for a rematch with the reigning featherweight champion. Tang snatched Le’s belt with a unanimous decision in their first encounter at ONE 160, but the former champion feels their rematch at ONE 166 this Friday will play out much quicker at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar.

“I think that this is going to be my best performance,” Le said. “That paired with the fact that I’ve seen him already for five rounds means you can call in for an early night. It’s going to be a Round 1 or Round 2 knockout.”

Le (14-3, 6-1 ONE) remains confident he will put Tang to sleep early—and for good reason. At 38, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 alum has always carried fight-ending power into the cage. While 12 of Le’s wins have ended via knockout, he proved to be dangerous on the mat in his last bout. Forced to settle for replacement opponent Ilya Fremanov after Tang injured his knee in the buildup to their rematch, Le heel hooked the Russian in under four minutes to capture the interim belt. While it was nice to stay active, Le’s hunger for the rematch with Tang only strengthened after he claimed the placeholder title.

“People talk about getting older and losing it, but I honestly feel like I’m gaining,” Le said. “They need to test me. I’m gaining speed, power, and it’s just ridiculous. With more experience, more preparation, the more time you give me the worse it’s going to be.”

Tang has not fought since he beat Le a year and a half ago, but he remains as dangerous as ever. In their first encounter, Tang wisely attacked Le’s front leg and stayed on the outside for most of the fight. Le looked hard for a knockout but never found it.

“I think it was a perfect storm for him,” Le said. “It was a smart, safe game plan from him, and he stuck to it with the utmost discipline, which was impressive. I performed like s---. My decisions, shot selection and approach was just off. It was a real, real bad night for me.”

Like Le, Tang (17-2, 7-0 ONE) has also finished most of his opponents and has not lost in nearly seven years. He is also a decade younger. Le is prepared for another five-round marathon, but he has waited long enough for his shot at redemption. If Tang leaves his chin open, Le plans to make him pay for it.

“When opportunities pop up, I do a really good job of capitalizing. I just didn’t do a good job last time,” Le said. “When those moments pop up—and they’re going to because they did in the first fight—we’re going to take advantage and keep the 100% finish win rate intact.”