Tang Kai made history by becoming China’s first-ever male mixed martial arts World Champion when he dethroned Thanh Le for the ONE Featherweight World Championship, and he received a hero’s welcome when he returned home.
Roughly 4,000 adoring fans in Shaoyang greeted the ONE Championship star. The event, organized by the local government, allowed Tang to walk around his hometown while being greeted by fans. He carried around the massive ONE title belt as fans snapped photographs of the new featherweight king.
Tang’s ascent to stardom has been paved with his impressive striking, and fan-pleasing style inside the Circle. On his current 10-bout win streak, seven in ONE, seven bouts have ended by way of KO/TKO. With his aggressive style, he quickly became one of the top young stars to watch in ONE. After a quick upset knockout over former #1-ranked contender Kim Jae Woong at ONE X, Tang was ready for his shot at the gold.
Perhaps most impressive about his title-winning performance, Tang got to show his intelligence inside the Circle. His game plan helped shut down Le’s movement as he racked up the points while pushing the pace against the titleholder. Tang got to showcase his tactical ability as well as utilize his trademark forward-pressure style.
The victory was a massive step forward for Chinese MMA as it finally received its first men’s World Champion, and Tang got to join ONE Strawweight World Champion Xiong Jing Nan in representing the nation with gold. Now the 26-year-old will become an inspiration to millions in his home country as they can look to him and know it is possible to become an MMA World Champion on the global stage.
