‘The Burmese Python’ Aung La N Sang is back in full throttle to continue where he left off. The KillCliff MMA star is on his way to fight his twentieth match in ONE Championship against undefeated Turkish finisher, Shamil Erdogan at ONE 168: Denver on Friday, Sept. 6.
But while he prepares for one of the biggest fights of his career yet, we remember how destructive he can be within the ONE circle. On July 30, 2021, after surrendering the middleweight and light heavyweight belts to Reinier de Ridder, Aung La entered a catchweight bout with Brazilian powerhouse Leandro Ataides.
Many questioned Aung La’s ability to get back into the running for gold, and boy, were they wrong. ‘The Burmese Python’ may have lost to De Ridder twice, but he proved that he’s levels above his competition with his methodic dismantling of Ataides.
After pushing the Brazilian against the MMA cage, Aung La made sure that Ataides stayed on his feet with a debilitating knee-punch combo in the first round. Ataides saw stars as Aung La pummeled him with a series of right hooks and left hooks until the Brazilian shut down.
Watch the full breakdown from ONE Championship as well as some of the best fan reactions below:
“Aung La N Sang is METHODICAL. Will ‘The Burmese Python’ send Shamil Erdogan to the canvas on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver?”
“I don’t think I’m an easy fight for anybody” – Aung La N Sang corrects Shamil Erdogan’s comments about being an easy opponent ahead of middleweight clash
Aung La N Sang is not going to indulge in Shamil Erdogan’s trash-talking ways. ‘The Burmese Python’ is too much class to get into an argument on social media.
The Turkish rising star recently tried to get under Aung La’s skin by calling him an “easy fight,” but the Myanmar icon calmly analyzed the comment with the following response to South China Morning Post:
“On social media he said I’m an easy fight. We’ll see. I let my actions do the talking, I don’t need to say anything. I don’t think I’m an easy fight for anybody.”
Aung La has been nothing but consistent in the delivery of his last three professional bouts. Although this Erdogan fight will be Aung La’s toughest test to date, how he will perform against a strong grappler, will be a sign of whether he’s ready for a title shot or not.
