Punching back at his critics

A painful first loss in the Circle, vicious online abuse and tough rebuild from within — China's mixed martial artist Tang Kai has punched his way out of a 16-month career setback to retain his belt and pride.

The featherweight striker, who fights out of Shaoyang, Hunan province, hit back at critics questioning his champion caliber in the best possible way on Saturday after he stopped Russian challenger Shamil Gasanov with a fourth-round technical knockout to successfully defend his 155-pound (70kg) world title under the ONE Championship in Bangkok.

To dominate Gasanov, a dangerous grappler entering the bout with five straight wins, in almost the same fashion that he himself was tamed by another wrestler, Kyrgyzstan's Akbar Abdullaev, via TKO just over a year ago, has proved that Tang has learned his tough and profound lessons quickly and seriously.

The 30-year-old Chinese fighter, who's courted as many online trolls as supporters for his flamboyant style, has now evolved into a more mature and more complete MMA champion with renewed, and perhaps an even greater, motivation.

"To defend my crown and represent China on foreign soil is a huge honor for me," Tang said in his post-fight interview to rousing cheers from the Thai crowd at the Lumpinee Stadium in a country where he's trained for a long time.

"I've prepared hard for this fight and I've learned my lessons from the last bout. I know where my weaknesses are, and I've trained hard to improve them.

"I am really glad to prove myself again and keep the title in China."

A large part of his progression, he confessed, owes much to the disheartening, and perhaps needed, fall at the hands of Abdullaev at the same arena in January last year, when Tang's sharp striking was neutralized by the Kyrgyzstani's takedowns and ground-and-pound style. It delivered him a first defeat in nine bouts with ONE since signing up with the Singapore-based combat sports promotion in 2018.

Tang was spared losing his title, though, after Abdullaev had missed weight, leaving their main-event bout at ONE Fight Night 27 as a non-title catchweight fight.

The unexpected defeat hit Tang with a wake-up call from his emotional high, following his back-to-back wins over the division's former titleholder Thanh Le of the United States, exposing Tang's lack of versatility and adaptability when measured against the highest standards of MMA maestros.

Haters and doubters took to social media to mock and even curse Tang, labeling him as a "style-over-substance" showman, rather than a deserved champion.

Tang opted to stay focused on his comeback, driven not just by years of discipline, but also an extra special sense of motivation beyond the 11 kilograms of his golden strap, after becoming a father for the first time last September.

"Since becoming a father, I have felt a greater sense of responsibility. I want my kid to have a better life than I had when I was young. I have to work harder, fight harder and, of course, make more money," Tang said before his belt defense against Gasanov.

The Russian challenger entered the bout as arguably the most dangerous foe Tang has faced in the Circle, riding on a five-bout winning streak built on relentless grappling and suffocating control.

Tang, however, welcomed such a stern test and outfought Gasanov, known as "The Cobra", with well-executed counterstrikes, solid defense and sharp low kicks targeting the opponent's lead leg.

Tang spent the first round turning away Gasanov's takedown attempts, sparring and parrying with authority each time the Russian approached and adding sharp punches to keep him at bay. Gasanov adjusted in the second, abandoning his wrestling and opting to trade strikes instead.

That suited Tang's style perfectly, as the Chinese champion popped jabs into his challenger's face throughout the round, getting the better of every exchange as the Dagestani contender grew frustrated.

The Russian returned to his takedown-heavy strategy in the third, but Tang continued to whip kicks at Gasanov's lead leg and chopped his opponent down midway through the fourth stanza. He then followed up with a barrage of hammer fists to prone Gasanov until the referee stepped in to call it a TKO for Tang, who has now improved his overall win-loss record to 20-3 and 9-1 with ONE.

With the belt slung over his shoulder and his bank account swelling by a $50,000 fight-of-the-night bonus, Tang said he's far from satisfied.

A rematch with Abdullaev would be good, but a shot at a second belt sounds even better.

"Akbar is a really good fighter and I respect him," Tang told the Bangkok Post backstage. "I hope that one day we can have a rematch — but, now, I can fight the Mongolian."

That would be Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu, the newly crowned ONE bantamweight MMA champion from Khovd, Mongolia, who stunned Brazilian Fabricio "Wonder Boy" Andrade in December and has made no secret of his desire to move up and challenge Tang.

The Chinese champ is willing to grant Baatarkhuu a chance to learn his lessons, anywhere in the world.

"I know he wants to fight with me," Tang said. "He can come. He can try. I will show him how different the level is between me and him.

"In China, or in Mongolia, wherever they decide to set the stage."