“He wanted to kill McGregor” - Thanh Le won’t let Tang Kai’s trash talk get to his head like Jose Aldo

​

Thanh Le (left) and Tang Kai (right). [Photos ONE Championship]

ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le won’t let himself fall into the trap that Tang Kai has laid out with his trash talk ahead of their world title match this Friday.

Le will defend his ONE featherweight gold against Tang in what is expected to be a striking firefight at ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II, set for this Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Tang has been incessant in provoking Le in the buildup to their match, but the 36-year-old world champion, who’s 10 years older than his opponent, won’t be drawn into the negative mindset that the Chinese star is trying to build.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Le said he has absolute respect for Tang but he will never let his emotions get the better of him, especially against a dangerous striker.

Le added that he saw how a man who lets his opponent get under his skin operates. The Vietnamese-American star used Jose Aldo’s loss to Conor McGregor as a prime example of fighting a high-pressure fight with pure animosity.

Thanh Le said:

“Absolutely…no matter if he talked s*** or said nothing. The fact is, he’s a dangerous fighter that’s going to give everything he has to take this belt. When you allow trash talk to affect you, that’s when a McGregor-Aldo situation happens. He wanted to kill McGregor so bad, he threw all caution to the wind and we saw what happened.”

McGregor regularly treated Aldo with utter disrespect in the lead-up to their December 2015 bout, and this led the Brazilian fighter to finally lose his composure and the UFC featherweight world title come fight night.

Tang said in a previous interview with ONE Championship that he plans to send Le into retirement and even called the featherweight king old.

“Thanh Le, you’re old. It’s time to retire. I’ll be the new king of the featherweight division."

Nevertheless, Le seems to have a cool head above his shoulders and has yet to lash out against the Chinese upstart.

---

Thanh Le is confident that Tang won’t catch him

Thanh Le has established himself as one of the most critical strikers in ONE Championship, yet he’s also one of the craftiest.

While he holds a perfect 5-0 record in the organization, with all five wins coming by knockout, Le has demonstrated time and again that he’s not just an offensive dynamo.

As good as he is at hitting his opponents, Le is also as adept at dodging strikes and this maneuvering allows him to sneak in and land some of the most ferocious combinations inside the circle.

Le said in an interview with ONE Championship that he’ll be dancing around Tang, who’s also known for his aggressive style, come ONE 160.

“Not getting hit is the thing I’m best at. There’s always room for improvement though. My overall fight IQ has grown tremendously, and it continues to grow. I’m doing my best to make sure it’s enough to defend this belt.”

Tang, who is 6-0 in the promotion, owns four knockouts and his last three fights all ended in the first round.

​