Thanh Le And Ilya Freymanov To Battle For Interim Featherweight MMA World Title At ONE Fight Night 15

An exciting World Title clash is now scheduled to headline ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video.

Thanh Le and Ilya Freymanov will battle it out for the ONE Interim Featherweight MMA World Championship at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

With reigning king Tang Kai unable to compete due to ongoing injury issues, the decision has been made to award an interim belt in U.S. primetime on Friday, October 6.

Former ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Le lost the gold to Tang in a five-round war in August 2022, and a rematch was booked for ONE Fight Night 12 on Prime Video earlier this year.

However, Tang’s knee injury halted proceedings, and #1-ranked contender Le will get his chance to rule the division again in the Chinese star’s absence.

The Vietnamese-American has looked incredible since signing with ONE, amassing five straight stoppage wins before his decision loss to Tang. Motivated by the setback, the 38-year-old is fired up to get back on the winning track.

Opposite him will be one of the fastest-rising athletes in the organization. 

Freymanov exploded onto the scene with a knockout win over former two-division ONE World Champion Martin Nguyen last September. He then added to his resume with a first-round submission of Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg this past June. 

Now 12-2 overall with 10 stoppage wins – including nine by knockout – the hard-hitting Russian stands at #3 in the featherweight MMA rankings and gets his opportunity to claim the interim throne.

The world-class striking of both featherweights means fans should expect an explosive battle on the feet, but they’ve also proven their abilities on the ground, so anything could happen when they face off in Bangkok. 

The winner will be eager to unify the crown in a matchup with Tang down the line, but for now, they have their hands full preparing for an intriguing Interim World Title contest.