Introduction
Thanh James Le (born August 28, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist, currently competes in the Featherweight division for the ONE Championship, he is a former ONE Featherweight World Champion and current interim ONE Featherweight World Champion. A professional since 2012, Le has competed in Legacy Fighting Alliance. He also appeared on reality television series The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber.
Background
Le was born on August 28, 1985, in Owensboro, Kentucky, United States. His father migrated from Vietnam and met his mother in Kentucky, before the family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, when he was 5 years old.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Le made his professional MMA debut in November 2013. Over the next, he fought in his native United States and earned a record of 4 wins against 1 losses with all of his wins coming via stoppages.
The Ultimate Fighter
On August 31, 2015, it was announced that Le would be a contestant on the 22nd season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, representing Team Faber.
In the opening elimination bout, Le faced fellow American Andrés Quintana. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.
Le represented Team Faber in the first preliminary fight of the season facing Sweden's Martin Svensson. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round.
Legacy Fighting Alliance and Dana White's Contender Series
Le his promotional debut against Alex Black on February 10, 2017, at LFA 3. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Le appeared in Dana White's Contender Series 2 on July 18, 2017, against Lazar Stojadinovic. He won the fight via knockout in the second round, he wasn't given a UFC contract.
Le faced Bobby Moffett for the Interim LFA Featherweight Championship on January 19, 2018, at LFA 31. He won the fight via TKO in the second round to earn the title.
Le fought in a unification bout for the LFA Featherweight Championship against Kevin Aguilar on May 25, 2018, at LFA 40. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
ONE Championship
Le made his promotional debut against Yusup Saadulaev on May 3, 2019, at ONE: For Honor. He won the bout via knockout in the second round.
Le faced former ONE Lightweight World Champion Kotetsu Boku on August 16, 2019, at ONE: Dreams of Gold. He won the bout via knockout in the first round.
Le faced Ryogo Takahashi on January 10, 2020, at ONE: A New Tomorrow. He won the bout via knockout in the first round.
ONE Featherweight World Champion
Le faced Martin Nguyen for the ONE Featherweight World Championship on October 30, 2020, at ONE: Inside the Matrix. He won the fight via TKO in the third round.
Le was scheduled to defend his title against Garry Tonon on December 5, 2021, at ONE: X. However, on October 28, 2021, the event was postponed to early 2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The fight was rescheduled for ONE: Lights Out on March 11, 2022. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Le faced Tang Kai on August 26, 2022, at ONE 160. He lost the fight and the title via unanimous decision.
The rematch between Le and Tang for the ONE Featherweight World Championship was scheduled on July 15, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 12. However, Tang withdraw from the bout due to knee injury and the bout was cancelled.
Le faced Ilya Freymanov for the interim ONE Featherweight World Championship on October 7, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 15. He won the bout via heel hook in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- ONE Championship
- ONE Featherweight World Championship (One time)
- One successful title defense
- Interim ONE Featherweight World Championship (One time)
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Garry Tonon and Ilya Freymanov
- 2020 ONE Championship Knockout of the Year vs. Martin Nguyen
- 2020 ONE Championship Fight of the Year vs. Martin Nguyen
- ONE Featherweight World Championship (One time)
- Legacy Fighting Alliance
- Interim LFA Featherweight Championship (One time)
Mixed martial arts record
| 17 matches | 14 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 12 | 1 |
| By submission | 2 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 14–3 | Ilya Freymanov | Submission (heel hook) | ONE Fight Night 15 | October 7, 2023 | 1 | 1:02 | Bangkok, Thailand | Won the interim ONE Featherweight Championship (155 lb). Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 13–3 | Tang Kai | Decision (unanimous) | ONE 160 | August 26, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | Lost the ONE Featherweight Championship (155 lb). |
| Win | 13–2 | Garry Tonon | KO (punches) | ONE: Lights Out | March 11, 2022 | 1 | 0:56 | Kallang, Singapore | Defended the ONE Featherweight Championship (155 lb). Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–2 | Martin Nguyen | TKO (punches) | ONE: Inside the Matrix | October 30, 2020 | 3 | 2:19 | Kallang, Singapore | Won the ONE Featherweight Championship (155 lb). |
| Win | 11–2 | Ryogo Takahashi | KO (punches) | ONE: A New Tomorrow | January 10, 2020 | 1 | 2:51 | Bangkok, Thailand | |
| Win | 10–2 | Kotetsu Boku | KO (punches) | ONE: Dreams of Gold | August 16, 2019 | 1 | 1:28 | Bangkok, Thailand | |
| Win | 9–2 | Yusup Saadulaev | KO (knee) | ONE: For Honor | May 3, 2019 | 2 | 0:12 | Jakarta, Indonesia | Return to Lightweight. |
| Loss | 8–2 | Kevin Aguilar | KO (punches) | LFA 40 | May 25, 2018 | 1 | 2:44 | Dallas, Texas, United States | For the LFA Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–1 | Bobby Moffett | TKO (punches) | LFA 31 | January 19, 2018 | 2 | 0:55 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Won the interim LFA Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–1 | Lazar Stojadinovic | KO (head kick and punches) | Dana White's Contender Series 2 | July 18, 2017 | 2 | 1:35 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Alex Black | TKO (body kick and punches) | LFA 3 | February 10, 2017 | 1 | 1:43 | Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 5–1 | Cody James | TKO (punches) | MCFP 1 | June 24, 2016 | 1 | 0:40 | Avondale, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Josh Quayhagen | TKO (punches) | World Fighting Championships 31 | November 22, 2014 | 1 | 2:49 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Shawn Fitzsimmons | TKO (elbows) | World Fighting Championships 27 | September 12, 2014 | 1 | 0:27 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Matt Vaughn | Submission | Renaissance MMA 30 | June 6, 2014 | 1 | 4:36 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 1–1 | Justin Martin | TKO (punches) | XFC: Le vs. Martin | April 5, 2014 | 1 | 2:44 | Ponchatoula, Louisiana, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Robert Dunn | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Renaissance MMA 29 | November 8, 2013 | 1 | 4:58 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | Lightweight debut. |
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 2 matches | 1 win | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1–1 | Martin Svensson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber | August 7, 2015 (airdate) | 2 | 3:48 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | TUF 22 Elimination round. |
| Win | 1–0 | Andrés Quintana | KO (punch) | July 17, 2015 (airdate) | 1 | 2:27 | TUF 22 Qualifying round. |