Aung La N Sang has been a staple of ONE Championship for over a decade but he’s calling it a career on Friday
For over a decade, Aung La N Sang has been a stalwart at ONE Championship where he previously reigned as a two-division champion while taking on challenge across multiple divisions during his career. But on Friday, “The Burmese Python” is calling it a career with plans to retire after his fight against Zebeztian Kadestam at ONE Fight Night 36.
There are a number of reasons why he opted to call it a career now but making that choice rather than having it made for him was definitely a huge part of his decision.
“I’m 40 now. You can’t fight forever,” Aung La N Sang told MMA Fighting. “It’s better for me to spend my time raising the next generation than to keep fighting. You can see we’re building a gym here, too, so this is the next step in my life.
“You’ve seen it many times. Tony Ferguson, all these guys. You know the [third] time when Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell are fighting, and they shouldn’t be fighting. You know for a fact that they shouldn’t be fighting. I don’t want to be in that same boat, and while I’m healthy, I want to build something else.”
As much as he’s going to miss fighting, Aung La N Sang isn’t leaving the sport because he’s actually become a huge part of the coaching staff at Kill Cliff FC, a Florida-based gym that counts fighters like Michael Chandler, Gilbert Burns and Michael Johnson among those on the team.
One of the fighters he works with most often is current UFC middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder, who is preparing for his own matchup against Brendan Allen in Vancouver on Oct. 18.
Between 2020 and 2021, Aung La N Sang actually battled de Ridder in a pair of title fights when was ONE’s middleweight and light heavyweight champion. He ended up dropping both titles to de Ridder and now counts him as a close friend and teammate, who he hopes to help become a champion again only this time in the UFC.
“I don’t think it’s crazy,” Aung La N Sang said about his relationship with de Ridder. “It happens all the time. You know this sport is very small and the guys at the top, they tend to run into each other. For me it’s just an honor to be a part of his camp and I know his game very well, obviously spending that many rounds with him. I know how good he is. For me, it’s really cool.”
While de Ridder made his name in ONE Championship, he’s now a perfect 4-0 in the UFC with the potential to fight for a title with another win. Aung La N Sang knew that de Ridder was going to make waves in the UFC even if there was some hesitation to believe he was really that good just because he came from another organization.
“You think about MMA and everyone thinks about UFC,” Aung La N Sang said. “But how is it possible that a guy that’s been doing MMA and championship fights outside the UFC and doing exactly what these guys are doing, wouldn’t be as good as them? Some people are delusional in that sense.
“If a person plays soccer at a very high level, just because they don’t play at Real Madrid or something like that, it doesn’t mean they’re good. I know how good Reinier is. I also know where his weaknesses are but I know from an MMA standpoint why he’s so successful and why he’s so good.”
The focus turns back to de Ridder and his fight after Aung La N Sang gets through his own on Friday, and he’s excited for the next chapter in his life.
Of course, he’s not oblivious to the common trope involving retirement where MMA fighters notoriously hang up the gloves only to inevitably compete again.
That’s why he’s not totally shutting the door on another fight, but Aung La N Sang is pretty resolved this is his last one.
“I’m 99 percent sure,” Aung La N Sang said with a laugh. “I’m 99 percent sure this is it. Because I’m an MMA fighter.”
Category: General Sports
