Tang Kai and Tang Le had a close fight through five rounds in their first encounter, but both were hoping for a more decisive outcome in the rematch. ONE 166: In Qatar, he gets a chance to unify the ONE Featherweight MMA World Title in a rematch. In the end, it will be Tan who scores a third-round TKO finish that leaves no doubt as to who will be at the top of the division.
The Chinese star put pressure on Li throughout the match. Feints and power led to the finish. Tan candidly said that ONE Championship was the plan from the beginning.
“I have to thank the team and the coach who helped me plan the tactics to finish the fight. It was really nice to win the fight by knockout, which I had been waiting for for over a year. I doubted me before I showed people my strength this time,” Tan told ONE.
Now that unification has been achieved, Mr Tan is focusing on a list of candidates who threaten to knock him off the top of the mountain. The first guy on the list might be Garry Tonon. The American grappling ace recently named Martin Nguyen as his next contender for gold.
“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,” said the ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion.
However, Nguyen himself is also on the list of potential opponents for the Chinese star. After recent losses, Tan admitted he needs to pick up some wins before challenging for gold. The gunfight that would ensue would still be attractive to Tang.
“I really want to fight Martin Nguyen because he's the first two-division ONE World Champion. He's been losing lately, but I want him to win some fights and challenge me. I want to fight, and I think it will be a really good, impressive fight,” said the Chinese star.
One of the most surprising names on the list is Superbon Sinha Mawin. The talented Thai striker is lighting up the kickboxing world and will be aiming for the ONE Interim Kickboxing World Title when he takes on Marat Grigorian at ONE Friday Fight 58. After that fight, he mentioned trying out MMA.
If MMA comes up as a possibility, Tan plans to welcome him to the new world. But if he does, he's going to put him to sleep. The ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion doesn't think he should move so willingly.
“I think Super Bon 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,” Tan said. .
