Myanmar's Tial Thang Confident Of Fast Finish For ONE Debut

“The Dragon Leg” Tial Thang is determined to thrill fans with a fast and action-packed bout when he makes his ONE Championship debut on 8 March in Yangon, Myanmar.

The 25-year-old will return to his home country for the first time in more than a decade to face Cambodia’s Rin Saroth on the main card of ONE: REIGN OF VALOR.

Tial Thang will also make his bow as a mixed martial arts professional at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium, but he has had plenty of seasoning as an amateur, and he has honed his skills with some elite training partners.

After working with Myanmar’s most famous son, “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang for the past two years, the man from Hakha believes he has what it takes to win the 68-kilogram catch weight bout in style.

“I think this fight is going to end quickly,” he says.

“No disrespect to Saroth, but I am a better fighter, and I have the capability of finishing this fight in the early rounds.”

With four victories in amateur MMA bouts under his belt, Tial Thang feels confident to switch from grappling to striking depending on his opponent’s weaknesses.

“I am very aggressive, go forward, and show up to fight,” he says.

His opponent is a formidable striker with a 110-22 record in the Cambodian martial art of Kun Khmer, which he used to power him to an impressive TKO win against Mario Satya Wirawan in The Home Of Martial Arts last July.

The 25-year-old also has a submission victory in ONE, but Tial Thang believes he has a weakness that can be exploited on 8 March.

“He is good at everything, but his grappling is his biggest weakness,” says the man from Myanmar.

“He has a strong right hand, but other than that, I’m not worried about anything.”

“The Dragon Leg” has a long history as a martial artist. He started practicing wrestling when he was a boy growing up in Myanmar’s mountainous Chin state.

He continued his training in the USA, but he has stepped up a gear ahead of his homecoming at ONE: REIGN OF VALOR

Tial Thang has moved away from his young family and trained intensely to prepare for the clash at Florida’s Hard Knocks 365.

Now under the guidance of elite kickboxing coach Henri Hooft alongside two-division World Champion Aung La N Sang and a host of other world-class martial artists, his striking game has been elevated to a new level.

His new gym has also given him access to a goldmine of information from seasoned professionals, not least the “The Burmese Python,” who has given him plenty of encouragement.

“[He said] be myself, go out there, and fight hard,” Tial Thang adds.

A victory in the world’s largest martial arts organization would launch his career and bring joy to the thousands of Chin people living in the USA and Myanmar.

That thought is motivating “The Dragon Leg” as he targets a victory in his ONE debut.

“It’s such an honor and blessing for me to fight in front of my people,” he says.

“I can’t wait to put on a very entertaining fight for them.”