Tang Kai Surveys ONE Featherweight MMA Contenders, Vows To Finish Garry Tonon

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The journey to ONE 166: Qatar was anything but easy for ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai. It had been 19 months since he captured the gold from Thanh Le at ONE 160 in August 2022, and from then onward, injuries had plagued the Chinese phenom.

The hard work paid dividends on Friday, 1 March, however, as Tang defeated Le to unify the featherweight MMA gold after scoring a third-round knockout of his foe inside Qatar's Lusail Sports Arena. For Tang, it was the perfect way to silence critics.

"I must thank my team and coaches because they helped me make tactics to finish the match. I felt really good to win a match by knockout that I've been waiting for over a year to have," Tang said. "I showed my power this time to the people who doubted me before."

The momentous return at ONE 166 cemented Tang's position at the top of the featherweight MMA realm, which now leaves him with time to look over the horizon at the group of contenders wanting to take him off the throne.

One in particular being former World Title challenger Garry Tonon, whose grappling prowess could offer a fresh set of challenges should he be next in line to face Tang. Both men possess the skills to finish fights on a moment's notice, but Tang is unfazed by "The Lion Killer's" prowess.

"He's very good at jiu-jitsu, but his striking skill is weaker. I'm always ready to fight with any style, any person," Tang said. "[His grappling] won't affect me. I'm going to KO him."

While Tang spent time in the wings to return to full fitness, he never took his eye off of the ever-changing featherweight MMA weight class. He's also well aware of those who came before him.

And out of respect, Tang would love to lock up with the first-ever two-weight ONE MMA World Champion Martin Nguyen. In order for that to happen, "The Situ-Asian" would have to get back to winning ways after a mixed bag of results in recent outings.

Despite the bumpy road, Tang holds Nguyen in high esteem and is rooting for the former king to return to his former glory to make a showdown possible in the near future.

"I really want to fight Martin Nguyen because he was the first two-division ONE World Champion," Tang said. "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."