On Tuesday, ONE Championship added another stellar title bout to the star-studded ONE 166: Qatar lineup.
The ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship will be unified when Tang Kai meets Thanh Le for their highly-anticipated rematch on March 1.
Le stormed to the title when he arrived in ONE with knockout after knockout. His highlight-reel finishes wowed audiences and made him the featherweight king. While the Vietnamese-American stood atop the mountain, Tang was on his way up the ranks with his own exciting highlights, setting the stage for their August 2022 showdown.
The Chinese athlete pushed Le for five rounds, and when the final bell sounded, he did just enough to edge the champion on the scorecards to become China’s first-ever male MMA World Champion. However, injuries have prevented him from defending the belt. While Tang was on the sidelines, Le reassumed the throne as the ONE Interim Featherweight MMA World Champion with a swift submission over Ilya Freymanov at ONE Fight Night 15.
In his post-match interview, Le was quick to put Tang on notice for the unification bout. The proud Louisianan wants to get that win back and prove he is the best featherweight in the world. After five incredible rounds in their first battle, the rematch between Tang and Le is guaranteed to be another barnburner.
It is an outstanding matchup that joins the growing ONE 166 card, featuring title rematches of Reinier De Ridder vs. Anatoly Malykhin and Jarred Brooks vs. Joshua Pacio.
ONE 166: Qatar airs live from the Lusail Sports Arena on Friday, March 1. More bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.