ONE Championship star Tang Kai’s never-say-die attitude has helped him become a force to be reckoned with in the promotion’s featherweight division.

The 26-year-old is sitting comfortably in the #1-ranked contender position and is in the final steps of preparation to shoot his shot at the divisional gold, which he’ll do when he takes on reigning featherweight king Thanh Le in the co-main event at ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II on August 26.

The road to the top hasn’t been easy for Tang, but his years of sacrifice and a chance to write his name into the history books as China’s first-ever MMA World Champion have geared him up for this moment.

“I’m the first Chinese male to challenge for the gold belt. This is both pressure and motivation for me,” the 26-year-old shared.

“I’m going to make history and let the world know my name. I’m Tang Kai from China.”

The Sunkin International Fight Club has been nothing short of incredible since making his debut in ONE.

Tang has won all six of his matches in the Circle and knocked out four opponents, including a first-round dismantling of former top-ranked star Kim Jae Woong.

And along the way, he has helped put China on the mixed martial arts map.

Tang Kai revealed the motivation ahead of his first ONE Championship title bout

The featherweight crown is a major driving force for Tang, when it comes to competing, but he recently opened up about how his family is also an important reason for him to fight.

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“My family is my motivation, because I want to make a better life for them. Since practicing fighting, I’ve sacrificed time with my family. I didn’t go home for New Year’s Eve, and I didn’t see my family for five or six years,” he said.

“No matter how much I have sacrificed, how much I have given, how many difficulties I have encountered, when I win the next match and win the World Championship, I will feel that all my sacrifices and contributions were worth it.”

Tang watched strawweight queen Xiong Jing Nan become the first women’s Chinese MMA World Champion when she knocked out Tiffany Teo in 2018.

Now, he wants to follow suit by becoming the nation’s first male MMA World Champion.

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“I hope to make history and show the power of Chinese fighters to the world,” he added.