ONE Championship: China’s Tang Kai promises to show an ‘upgraded version’ of himself at ONE 166
- Tang returns to the ring for the first time in 18 months, and will defend his featherweight title against Thanh Le
- The pair clashed in 2022, when Tang won after five brutal rounds, with Le now holding the interim title
The last time fight fans saw Tang Kai was in 2022, when he beat Thanh Le to become the ONE Championship featherweight champion.
Knee issues have kept him out of action ever since, but after 18 months sitting on the sidelines he at ONE 166 this Friday to face Le in a title rematch.
And despite being unbeaten in his seven fights before getting injured, Tang said he had made some big improvements during his extended absence, which he put down to having a new team around him.
“I hope that the fans will be able to see a different me, a fully upgraded version,” he said.
Keen to be back to his best, Tang has enlisted the help of coaches and sparring partners from an area which has produced some of the best mixed martial artists of the modern era.
“Our new coaching team comes from Dagestan, Russia, and focuses more on simple and practical fighting styles,” Tang said. “The seamless transition from striking to the ground is the strength of the Russian style of fighting.”