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Kim Jae Woong unconcerned of facing either Thanh Le or Garry Tonon for ONE Featherweight Title

Top-ranked featherweight contender "The Fighting God" Kim Jae Woong isn't too worried about taking on either Thanh Le or Garry "The Lion Killer" Tonon for the ONE Featherweight World Title.

Kim Jae Woong

Bengaluru, October 19: Top-ranked featherweight contender "The Fighting God" Kim Jae Woong isn't too worried about taking on either Thanh Le or Garry "The Lion Killer" Tonon for the ONE Featherweight World Title.

The South Korean star will await the winner of the World Title battle between current titleholder Le and #3-ranked contender Tonon at ONE X on 5 December.

Kim earned his opportunity at the ONE Featherweight World Title following his knockout win over former division king Martin "The Situ-Asian" Nguyen at ONE: REVOLUTION last month.

"I believe I deserve the next title shot for sure because Martin Nguyen is a legend. He has so many records in ONE Championship, and he's also a two-division World Champion here," the 28-year-old said.

"Nobody knocked down Martin Nguyen like that in the first round, only me. I believe that I'm the clear next challenger."

"The Fighting God" promised fans that he would break down Nguyen's arsenal before their clash on 24 September. He did just that, avoiding the Vietnamese-Australian's classic overhand right and catching his opponent with a short right that sent him to the canvas.

From there, Kim unleashed a barrage of ground and pound strikes to seal the deal at 3:15 of the first round. The win earned him his third knockout win on the global stage of martial arts leading up to his World Championship showdown against Le or Tonon.

Now, he's more than prepared to face either one of them, as every fighter has a chance of winning - whether they are the favorite or the underdog.

"What's next for me is Thanh Le because Thanh Le is the champion right now. But nobody knows what's going to happen [in the bout with Tonon], so if Tonon wins that fight, I'll be ready [for him too]," Kim said.

"I can't make a prediction because I believe every fight is 50-50. Everybody has a 50 percent chance because it's a fight."

Regardless of the result of that World Title fight at ONE X, "The Fighting God" is certain he has what it takes to see them off and become the division's new king.

His latest knockout win is a testament to his abilities in the Circle, and that coupled with his training over the past couple of months has given him the confidence he needs as he prepares for his first World Title shot.

"[Team Alpha Male] has a lot of great fighters out there, a lot of World Champions from different organizations. By mixing up with them and sparring with them, it gave me so much confidence that I'm one of the best also," he said.

"One thing I can say is, whoever wins that fight [between Le and Tonon], I'm ready for both. None of them would give me a problem."

Source: Media Release

Story first published: Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 10:37 [IST]
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