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Former double world champion Aung La N Sang is no stranger to sharing the circle with Reinier de Ridder. ‘The Burmese Python’ faced ‘The Dutch Knight’ in back-to-back fights in 2020 and 2021, both of which were world title fights.
At ONE on Prime Video 5, Reinier de Ridder’s incredible undefeated run came to a sudden end when he was knocked out by undefeated Russian Anatoly Malykhin in the opening round.
Losing his ONE light heavyweight world championship in the process, de Ridder was unable to take the larger man down and was forced to stand with Malykhin, whose knockout pedigree speaks for itself.
Once it was clear that he would struggle to take the fight to the floor, his grappling advantage was written off. In a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Aung La N Sang revealed that he was not surprised by de Ridder’s loss due to his specialist style.
He said:
“I don’t think it was, I really don’t think it was surprising at all. You think about it right, RDR is a one-trick pony. He takes a person down and he grapples them, grounds and pounds them right? What other way does he win?”
Watch the full interview below:
WATCH: Aung La N Sang can be an immovable object or a destructive force
Aung La N Sang is one of the most successful fighters in ONE Championship’s history.
‘The Burmese Python’ produced an incredible run in the promotion that saw him become the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight world champion with some incredible performances and highlight-reel moments.
Though he’s suffered a rough patch in his career, including relinquishing his two world titles to Reinier de Ridder, the former champ has been on the comeback trail.
With consecutive first-round finishes over Japanese legend Yushin Okami and Gilberto Galvao, the former champ-champ is looking to keep his momentum going by adding a third straight win over China’s Fan Rong at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video.
In a recent Instagram post, ONE Championship reflected on some of Aung La’s best moments inside the circle. The caption alongside the video reads:
“BRUTAL Attack Team 'The Burmese Python' 💥@aunglansang Aung La N Sang will fight 'King Kong Warrior' Fan Rong in our debut event in the United States ONE Fight Night 10! 💪”
Aung La’s showdown against Fan Rong is set for May 5 at the 1stBank Center in Colorado. The entire ONE Fight Night 10 card will be available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Watch the highlight reel for Aung La N Sang below:
