Aung La N Sang’s impressive three-fight winning streak at 38-years-old had him on the verge of a title shot before he ran into the undefeated Turkish-Dagestani wrestler Shamil Erdogan last year in Denver at ONE 168.
Now, ‘The Burmese Python’ has been hard at work in the gym with his team at KillCliff FC to prepare for the immediate rematch for several months, and believes he will be more ready this time around.
“I need to be a little bit more dynamic, and I need to start a little bit faster,” Aung La told us. “Can’t let him just ride me. You know? He’s a very high level wrestler, and he’s gonna look to ride me and get me tired.”
That is certainly what Erdogan did in the first fight in September 2024, taking down the Myanmar-born athlete in the first round until N Sang was worn down enough that Shamil could brawl with him successfully.
We asked the former ONE Championship two-division title holder what specifically he has been doing to prepare better for the wrestling specifically, is it just putting his nose to the grindstone and working hard?
“That and we do have really high level wrestlers too, Brendan Allen’s there. ” he answered, referring to the UFC middleweight contender. “Linton Vassell is a heavyweight, and he’s a very good grappler. And then Emiliano Sordi, and we have we have a light-heavyweight guy from Kazakhstan, he’s helping me out as well.”
Getting up from underneath Linton Vassell is no easy task, as aside from being a large heavyweight, the British PFL contender is one of the best at top control in the world of mixed martial arts. Training with one of the largest pools of talent at any gym in the world should go a long way to help a dynamic striker like Aung La improve his anti-wrestling.
THE BURMESE PYTHON š
The former ONE two-division champion Aung La N Sang š²š² returns this Thursday at #ONE171 in Qatar š¶š¦
In 45 fights, Aung has 28 finishes, 15 knockouts & 13 submissions š„
(š„: @ONEChampionship)
ā COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) February 18, 2025
Training with experienced veterans is one thing, but he also makes sure to mix it up with the young bucks in the gym, and the former double champ is beyond impressed with the talent on the way up right now.
“To be able to work with the new generation, this next generation is gonna be a different level, you know?” he said. “I’ve been fighting for twenty years, but these guys are so good. These 20-year-old guys are so good.”
The big difference between young fighters these days, and the athletes that Aung La trained with and fought on his own rise to stardom? Their skills in every phase of mixed martial arts.
“Well-roundedness, [good in] every transition. You know, they have like jiu-jitsuāhigh level jiu-jitsuāhigh level striking, and they can they can combine it together really well. You know? And these guys at 20, 22 [years old] can do it really well.”
The Burmese star has already begun to step into a coaching role alongside head coach Henri Hooft and other fighters like Robbie Lawler at the gym, and he predicts some of their students will be the next champions in the sport.
“A lot of these younger guys, they’re gonna be killers. I’m telling you this: in two, three years, you guys will hear about these guys from KillCliff,” he said. “[They’re] just hardworking, show up every day, they have a full skill set, and they’re physically very strong tooāand very determined. Just a great group of kids.”
For now, however, Aung La is still the one at the top of the heap, and if he can avenge his loss against Shamil this Thursday then he could find himself back in a title fight soon, in the year he is set to turn 40-years-old.
Fans went wild š± Will Aung La N Sang give the crowd another reason to go crazy when he rematches Shamil Erdogan at ONE 171: Qatar? š„ @AungLANsang @visitqatar @qatarcalendarā
ā #ONE171 #VisitQatar | Feb 20 6PM AST/10AM ETā
š Live TV broadcast in 190+ countries (check localā¦ pic.twitter.com/inacIklt7Jā ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 18, 2025
Watch theĀ full interviewĀ to see the rest, and tune in to ONE 171 on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, February 20th, 2025 to see Aung La N Sang vs Shamil Erdogan 2, live from Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.
Read the full article here