Watch: ONE Championship grudge match preview – Kim Jae Woong vs. Tang Kai

At ONE Championship: Only The Brave on January 28, we’ll be treated to an MMA bout that has bad blood written all over it.

The clash between featherweight knockout artists Tang Kai and ‘The Fighting God’ Kim Jae Woong will surely deliver fireworks.

Taking the war that would happen inside the cage aside, a different kind of war is brewing between the two. A verbal battle has started and is increasingly gaining traction as both fighters trade barbs on social media and in interviews.

In a fight preview video released by ONE Championship, we see a detailed look into what stirred the animosity between the two. The surging Tang, who is on an eight-fight winning streak, says that Kim would be the third Korean he’ll face inside the cage.

In the video, the Chinese dynamo says:

“Kim Jae Woong is my third Korean opponent. I’ve knocked out the first two and he’ll be next.”

To this, Kim simply smirks and dismisses Tang as an athlete he’s fighting simply because he has nothing to do while waiting for his title shot. The confident Korean says in the video:

“I didn’t even know his name before they made this fight because I’m out of his league. Since I have time to kill before my world title fight, he’ll be a good warmup.”

Watch the full fight preview here:

Tang Kai promises to make Kim Jae Woong cry at ONE Championship: Only The Brave

In response to Kim’s dismissal of him as mere warmup, Tang promises to take him out and make him cry inside the cage. Speaking to ONE, the Qingdao native said:

“If you think our fight is a warmup, you should be careful because I’m sure you’ll lose inside the Circle. I will make him regret saying those words that underestimate me. You laugh now, but I will make you cry and I will let the world know [of] my existence. I will KO Kim Jae Woong as soon as possible and take away his world championship challenge.”

Tensions are rising and with bad blood building between the two, expect a blood-and-guts battle from start to finish. Tang is not backing down, while Kim is confident he’ll steamroll the surging Chinese warrior.

Also ReadArticle Continues below

Someone will surely fall and we can’t wait to see the drama and action unfold come January 28. Be sure to tune in.