“The pain is worth it” - Aung La N Sang shares the joy he gets from beekeeping

Before Aung La N Sang was a pro MMA fighter, he was already building his pain tolerance.

Before finding MMA, 'The Burmese Python' was a migratory beekeeper. While beekeepers wear full-body suits to protect against angsty bees, enough time on the job will see beekeepers stung every so often.

In a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Aung La N Sang expressed his fondness for cultivating communities of insects and his desire to get back into it:

“The pain is worth it. The honey is sweet so the pain is worth it. Honeybees are pretty cool, man. It doesn't require much upkeep and you get an amazing product out of it. But yeah, of course, it's a little dangerous so you got to make sure you're well-equipped to do the job."

Of his future as a beekeeper, Aung La added:

"But it doesn't take much upkeep and it's fun, it's a cool little thing. Unfortunately, right now I don't have a house big enough or a yard big enough to keep bees, but one day.”

With the vital role that bees play in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, and providing delicious honey, Aung La’s future foray into beekeeping would be beneficial in more ways than one.

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Aung La N Sang’s sole focus is beating Yushin Okami

Hobbies aside, Aung La has a big fight coming up on November 19th. At ONE 163, he’ll be traveling to Singapore to fight Yushin Okami. Okami is one of the strongest Japanese veterans in the game, having fought for a UFC title and beaten some of the best middleweights in the world.

In the same interview with SCMP MMA, Aung La spoke about his singular focus going into the fight:

"My focus is on Okami, and that's the only thing that I'm focused on right now. Everyday I wake up thinking of Okami, so nothing else past that point matters right now. I'm sorry, my interview is going to be boring because everything is towards Okami right now."

Having dropped three of his last four fights, the former two-weight world champion Aung La N Sang is at a critical point in his career. While not appearing to decline physically as he’s entered his upper thirties, he’s battled some of the most resilient European fighters in ONE Championship in Reinier de Ridder and Vitaly Bigdash.

Yushin Okami is another big, athletic middleweight, but at a similar career juncture to Aung La.

While set in Singapore, ONE 163 features a cast of Japanese fighters against other fighters from around the globe. Aung La N Sang vs. Yushin Okami is the co-main feature under a kickboxing world title fight between bantamweight champion Hiroki Akimoto and Thailand’s Petchtanong.