Looking back on 2017, featherweight Thanh Le feels like the year as a whole was a good one for him.
Le was able to pick up two wins last year, and further a streak of first round finishes that he’s maintained since his second fight as a pro.
“I think 2017 was a great year,” Le told MMAWeekly.com. “I had some ups and downs, just like any year, but great things as far as my career goes.
“I got to show my skills on UFC Fight Pass, so I was really excited about all that. I added a couple wins to the win column. I’m looking to do the same thing in 2018, but with a few more fights, and some notable wins coming into play, and waiting that call from the UFC.”
Le feels his ability to get early finishes is the sum of a couple factors: namely his own natural style of fighting, and how his opponents approach him in their bouts.
“I definitely want to showcase my skills and strong suits, which happens to be putting people to sleep, but I think the more the timing of the finishes is dictated by the opponent,” said Le. “They understand who they’re getting in the cage with, and they’ve seen videos of my fights, so it’s a little more sense of urgency of their side.
“It’s a mixture of me wanting to put on exciting fights, and kind of a mixture of their timing and urgency. I’ve never planned for it, but it’s just worked out like this.”
Le (7-1) will see if he can keep his streak going when he takes on Bobby Moffett (10-2) for the interim LFA 145-pound title in the main event of Friday’s show in Phoenix.
“Bobby is a great fighter; a game fighter,” Le said. “I assume he’s going to come in, try to close the distance, get it to the ground and try to get the submission. He’s going to look for a finish because he likes to put on exciting fights as well.
“I have the game plan we’ve always had and we’ve developed. It can be an early finish if that’s what he gives me, but he wants to take it five rounds, I’d love to chew him up for five rounds and end the fight later. If the opportunity is there, he’ll get finished.”
Though Le is looking to make a move to the UFC this year, he’s not going to sacrifice his present for a possible future. Instead, Le will focus on what he has to do where he’s at right now before thinking of the next level.
“The goal is always to fight in the biggest league possible and against the best competition possible,” said Le. “But after this fight I’m looking forward to the next fight with the LFA, but if the UFC calls, that’s great.
“I’m looking to destroy Bobby, destroy Kevin Aguilar, and just beat the strongest competition possible. If the next step is the UFC, then I’m happy with that, because that will be an exciting new endeavo
