ONE featherweight MMA king Tang Kai has issued some pointed words for the featherweight division.
The Chinese superstar is fresh from a show-stopping knockout win over interim divisional ruler Thanh Le at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1, which saw him return to unify the ONE Featherweight MMA World Title. With two successive wins over Le in the bag, Tang’s attention has now turned to the rest of the division that he now rules over.
Many pundits have second-ranked contender Garry Tonon as the next man in line for a World Title shot. He recently made quick work of former two-division ONE World Champion Martin Nguyen at ONE 165 in January. The American submission ace would offer a very different style to Tang’s recent opponent, but the 28-year-old is not fazed.
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“He’s very good at jiu-jitsu, but his striking skill is weaker. I’m always ready to fight with any style, any person,” he said. “[His grappling] won’t affect me. I’m going to KO him.”
Despite Nguyen currently being mired in a 2-3 run since dropping the featherweight MMA strap in 2020, the 35-year-old remains as the fourth-ranked featherweight contender. Regardless of his recent form, Tang is keen to test himself against the history-making Australian.
“I really want to fight Martin Nguyen because he was the first two-division ONE World Champion. Although he’s been losing recently, I want him to win a couple of fights and challenge me, and I think it’s going to be a really good and impressive fight,” he said.
However, another name from left field drew the ire of the featherweight MMA king.
Tang Kai slaps down Superbon Singha Mawynn’s suggestions of a switch to MMA
Tang Kai is not taking suggestions seriously that former ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon Singha Mawynn will cross over to MMA. The Thai superstar recently mused that he would be able to make the jump into a new sport with some time to train, but Tang is not so sure.
“I think Superbon is a bit arrogant because he says he can fight MMA with a bit of practice. I’d have to let him know what MMA is, and I’ll let him ‘sleep’ on the ground,” he said.
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Superbon’s standing as one of the very best strikers on the planet means that the 33-year-old would remain a danger as long as any fight remains standing. But his ability to get up to speed with the grappling side of the sport is questionable.
It appears that Tang is open to giving him a lesson in the ways of mixed martial arts if Superbon is, in fact, serious about trying his hand in a new sport.