Tang Kai and Thanh Le will collide again on Friday, Mar. 1, at ONE 166: Qatar, ONE Championship announced on Tuesday.
The rematch will stand as a unification bout for the undisputed ONE featherweight MMA world championship.
The pair first met in Aug. 2022, with Le entering as the divisional king. The New Orleans star had dominated the division up to then, with highlight-reel knockouts and a five-fight win streak, but Tang proved to be his equal in their epic slugfest.
The Chinese athlete edged out Le on the scorecards to become China’s first-ever male MMA world champion, and the performance showcased his tactical side as he shut down Le’s explosive striking.
However, injuries have prevented him from defending the gold, which left the division in flux for a brief time.
With Tang on the sideline, Le took control of the division by finishing Ilya Freymanov via submission just over a minute into their ONE interim featherweight MMA title bout at ONE Fight Night 15 in October.
The swift victory showed the world Le’s improved ground game and crowned him as an genuine all-round threat.
In the post-match interview, it was apparent he wasn’t satisfied with interim gold, and he called out Tang for a rematch, calling it “Round 6.”
Now that rematch is official.
ONE 166 goes out live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar on Mar. 1, and feature a stacked lineup already. The explosive featherweight title tilt now joins the fray, and it will lay the groundwork for an incredible 2024 for the division.