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ONE Championship Fight Night 15: Thanh Le felt Ilya Freymanov’s knee ‘rip’ – and his own self-doubts – in 62-second win
- Vietnamese-American claims interim featherweight MMA belt with a quick heel hook submission in Bangkok main event
- ‘I felt nerves, things like age get in your head. Am I slower? Not as good? Not in my prime? You’ve got to prove it to yourself,’ 38-year-old says
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Thanh Le was full of self doubt before his latest ONE Championship appearance, but it was impossible to tell based on his performance.
The Vietnamese-American, ONE’s former featherweight MMA champ, returned to the ring in the main event of Saturday’s ONE Fight Night 15 card in Bangkok.
He was matched up with the No 3-ranked contender Ilya Freymanov, with the interim featherweight belt on the line, and in the end needed only 62 seconds to win, tapping his foe with a heel hook at Lumpinee Stadium.
It was a stunning return to form for the 38-year-old former champ (14-3), who had not fought since he surrendered the title to Tang Kai in August 2022, and one that even he wasn’t sure he could pull off.
“Things go through your mind,” he said after his submission win. “This guy is young, has a military background. He knocked Martin [Nguyen] out quick, I knocked [Nguyen] out in the third round. He takes damage, he’s got no quit in him.
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