Myanmar fighter Aung La N Sang walks into ONE Championship’s circle ahead of a trilogy match against Russian foe Vitaly Bigdash in February.
T
hings may not have gone Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang’s way in the ONE Championship circle lately, but the former ONE middleweight and light heavyweight world champion refuses to be counted out.
Aung La N Sang is planning his next move in the Home of Martial Arts, and he will be watching the main event of ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash, on July 22 at Singapore Indoor Stadium closely.
That evening, two-division ONE world champion Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder, who won both belts against the Myanmarese star, will put his middleweight strap on the line against Aung La N Sang’s three-time opponent Vitaly Bigdash. And “The Burmese Python” is very intrigued to see who will come out on top.
“It’s going to be a good fight. They’re both very good competitors, so I’m excited about it, and I’m very familiar with both of them. It’s going to be a good one. It’s an exciting matchup for me, and I’m really looking forward to who’s going to win that one,” he said.
Aung La N Sang knows very well what each man should expect when they come to face other in the upcoming spectacle.
He dropped a submission loss to “The Dutch Knight” at ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX in 2020, then brought him all the way to the final bell when they met again at “ONE on TNT IV” in 2021, only to suffer a unanimous decision defeat.
Read also: Adriano Moraes, Demetrious Johnson II headline ONE’s first Amazon Prime Video event
The Myanmar sports legend has a better record against the challenger, Bigdash, though. The two stars had an epic rivalry that spanned five years. Both men scored a unanimous decision win in their first two meetings in 2017, before Bigdash brought it home with another decision victory in their trilogy fight in February.
Aung La N Sang’s losses to the ONE 159 headliners stand as his only defeats inside the circle. The former double world champion has an impressive record of 12-4, with notable wins against Leandro Ataides and Brandon Vera.
He's now ready to make another push toward the top of the division, and he sees De Ridder and Bigdash as potential future opponents, so much so that the 37-year-old plans to keep both at arm’s length – just in case he has the chance to tussle with them once again.
"I feel like if I finish the next few middleweights that I fight, I’ll be back in the mix," Aung La N Sang said.
“To me, they could both potentially be my opponent again. So, with all due respect to them, I don’t intend to be their best friend anytime soon. Maybe down the line, if I get to know them more, maybe. But right now, we’re cordial, we’re respectful and they’re both great athletes."
Watch ONE 159 on July 22 in ONE Super App and subscribe to ONE Championship on YouTube!
This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship.
