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How To Break A Leg And Avoid Getting Knocked Out
A Tale Of Two Leg Entanglements - Previewing ONE Championship 166
William
February 29th, 2024
First Things First
This Friday, Thanh Le is fighting to reclaim his ONE Championship belt. Le has one of the coolest styles in MMA, so I wanted to look at two of his key fights.
If you want to review Le’s game and learn some good leg locking principles, this one is for you.
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Table of Contents
Qatar, ONE 166, And ONE Chance To Impress
ONE Championship’s super card is scheduled to broadcast this Friday at 6:30 CST from Qatar. The Friday air date is why we’re sending this out a day early. There are five belts on the line, and for good reason.
QIA, the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, contributed $50M to ONE Championship's fundraising efforts. Qatar was expecting ONE to create a UFC Apex-like venue in Qatar as part of the deal. With no venue created and no return on their money expected any time soon, QIA is reportedly embarrassed by their investment.
ONE Championship brought together a spectacle for QIA to make things right. In all likelihood this event is also designed to be a platform for ONE to ask for additional capital to keep the lights on. We’ll see if that proves to be successful later. Today, let’s take a closer look at a fighter on the card, the always exciting Thanh Le.
Thanh Le
Le was a nationally competitive Tae Kwon Do fighter before transitioning to MMA. He holds a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Ryan Hall, and 100% of his professional wins are finishes. Le is an exciting martial arts maestro.
Hall’s leg locking expertise in the corner saved Le’s leg. It also gave him a highlight reel win. Let’s review both so we can better understand how to use leg locks in MMA.
Thanh Le vs Garry Tonon
You’ll see this fight presented as evidence that leg locking doesn’t work. Actually, it’s an indictment of Tonon’s tactics as much as it is evidence of Le’s skill.
Single Leg X Pull → Ashi Garami → Outside Heel Hook → Single Leg X → Knockout  | Tonon pulls Le into single leg X. Tonon off balances Le before attempting an outside heel hook. Tonon off balances Le again before trying to lock his feet once more. Le pushes Tonon’s feet past him, giving him a direct shot to knock Tonon out. |
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