Tan Kai He reigns supreme in the featherweight MMA division, and he wants all challengers to know that he is ready for any challenger. Earlier this month at ONE 166: Qatar, the Chinese fighter faced the interim world title holder to unify the ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship. Thanh Le An epic rematch of the 2022 matchup to compete for the division's top prize.
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The first matchup was left to the judges' scorecards, the first of Lee's professional career, but recent bouts have not lasted as long as both men had promised.
Tang Kai eyes future challengers
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The Sunkin International Fight Club representative caught Lee with a huge looping right hand in the third round, then rained down punches on his opponent, finishing off his rival with less than 30 seconds remaining. In an interview with ONE, Tan said his team's strategy was to score a more decisive victory this time to silence any doubts about his reign.
“The strategy was to put pressure on him, get him out of rhythm, and finish him off. I have to thank the team and the coach for helping me develop tactics to finish the game.” I'm really happy that I was able to win this fight by knockout, which I've been waiting for for over a year.''He continued, “This time I showed what I'm capable of to the people who doubted me in the past.'' He said.
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He is now eyeing potential challengers to his reign, with the most obvious choice being No. 2 in the rankings. Garry Tonon“Lion Killer” wins big over former two-division world champion Martin Nguyen He will solidify his position as a challenger at ONE 165, which will be held in Tokyo this January. However, his Thonon feat didn't seem to impress Tan.
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Kai vows to complete “Lion Killer”
It seems that Tang Kai expected more from “Lion Killer”, but the last match seems to have disappointed him. “He is very good at jiu-jitsu, but his striking technique is weak. I am always ready to fight with any style and with any person.[His grappling] It doesn't affect me. I'm going to KO him. ” He said.
Meanwhile, Tan is also open to facing one of the greats in Nguyen's promotion. Despite The Situ Asian's loss, Tan believes the Vietnamese-Australian can still put on a show against him. “I really want to fight Martin Nguyen because he’s the first two-division ONE World Champion. He’s been losing lately, but I’d like him to win a few fights and give me a challenge, and I think it would be a really good fight. Therefore,” He said.
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He also made aggressive remarks against the former ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion. Super Bon Sinha Mawin, he dared the Thai star to step into his world. “I think Superbon is a little arrogant because he says he can fight in MMA with a little practice. I have to let him know what MMA is and I'll put him on the ground. ” He said.
