Thanh Le Taking Rocky IV-Inspired Approach To Ilya Freymanov Battle At ONE Fight Night 15

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"Two worlds collide, rival nations." Those are the opening words to Survivor's 1985 classic hit Burning Heart. And that's the exact mentality former ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Thanh Le is taking to his interim World Title clash with Ilya Freymanov.

The Kentucky-born, Louisiana resident meets his Russian counterpart in the main event of ONE Fight Night 15 this Saturday (October 7), live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Le was initially preparing for an immediate rematch with ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai - the man he lost the strap to in August 2022 at ONE 160. But with Tang unable to get past his injuries, July's tie at ONE Fight Night 12 was nixed.

The former World Champion didn't want to let his hard work go to waste, though. So Le instead opted to face the thriving Freymanov to see who gets the next shot at China's first-ever male MMA World Champion.

In preparation for the pivotal clash, Le feels there's more to this battle than just two featherweights slugging it out. It's America versus Russia. It's Rocky Balboa versus Ivan Drago. It's heart against skill.

But after stripping away all the glamor and the hype, Le views Freymanov as just another man. So, when the chips are stacked on Saturday in Bangkok, Thailand, the 38-year-old is ready to see what Freymanov is made of.

"He is Drago. Whether it's Ilya or whether it's the guys I fought in the past, right? A version of Drago, like big, bad, dangerous. He's got everything in his favor," Le said.

"I've got nothing in my favor. He's got all these resources. I don't have anything. I'm working from home sometimes.

"So I prepare like I'm Rocky versus this machine. And then, 'Ohh, you're not huge. You're my size. You're not stronger. I touch people, they go to sleep. You're not fast. I'm lightning.' So, cool. I get to fight on even footing."

Le boasts five knockouts in as many wins since joining the world's largest martial arts organization. He's made no bones about showing how ferocious his firepower really is. He's made light work of promotional standouts Ryogo Takahashi, Garry Tonon, and Martin Nguyen.

When Le makes the walk, you know his plan is to put on as entertaining a show as possible. And that's a sentiment Le feels Freymanov also showcases in his bouts.

The Russian powerhouse dispatched former two-division ONE World Champion Nguyen in his ONE debut last October before submitting Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg in a one-round barnburner this past July at ONE Fight Night 11.

Le has kept an eye on the flourishing Russian. So when his name was called for an interim featherweight scrap, he was more than happy to oblige on four-week's notice.

"He's very good. He's done some damage in the division, so that's very appealing to me that he puts a hurting on people. He's aggressive, he's very skilled," Le said.

"You know the reason I'm in this sport is to fight the biggest, baddest dudes. And when that day comes that I don't want to, it's time to call it. That day ain't today.

"As soon as I got the name, we were excited. We figured out if four weeks was enough for a great opponent like Ilya. It sounded good, so we signed on that dotted line and now we're ready to kill him."