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At ONE 163, former double champion Aung La N Sang will return to the circle. Standing across from ‘The Burmese Python’ will be an opponent worthy of his legendary run in ONE Championship, Japanese MMA legend Yushin ‘Thunder’ Okami.
Aung La massively needs a win on his return after going 1-3 in his last four fights. After losing both of his world championships to Reinier de Ridder, the former champion has been unable to recapture his form that saw him become one of the most successful fighters in ONE’s history.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Aung La N Sang spoke about the dangers that Okami brings and how they match-up:
“Stylistically, I think he’s problematic for me. He’s longer and he has more range as a grappler, and that’s the kind of fight that I have problems with. And so this is stylistically, for him, a good matchup, and for me, I feel like it’s a good matchup too.”
Yushin Okami is also in desperate need of a win if he is to keep his position within ONE Championship. Okami went 1-2 in the circle before stepping away for some time.
Both fighters have had their legacy assured in Asian MMA, with Aung La achieving champ-champ status and Okami competing for two decades all over the world.
Whilst adding a fellow legend to their resumes is worthy of the fight itself, a win on November 19 could be the momentum that either fighter needs to fuel another chapter in their careers.
“If I wanna take him down, I can take him down” - Aung La N Sang says he’s improving his wrestling game
Aung La N Sang has been working hard in the gym to improve his overall game and come back even better than before.
‘The Burmese Python’ will get a chance to showcase his improvements when he makes his return to the circle at ONE 163 against Japanese MMA legend Yushin Okami.
Aung La N Sang has been very open about his struggles in recent fights. Going 1-3 in his last four fights, the former double champion has struggled to rebound from his two losses to Reinier de Ridder.
Putting more emphasis on improving his wrestling, ‘The Burmese Python’ is aiming to prove at ONE 163 that this is no longer a flaw in his game that opponents can exploit like in previous fights.
He told The MMA Superfan:
“My wrestling’s always been my weakness, and it’s been about four years now that I’ve been working hard on wrestling, and when you work on something, it doesn’t show right away in the fight. I think in this fight it’s gonna show. My hips, my footwork, my legs, and my defense, it’s gonna be much much better. If I wanna take him down, I can take him down too.”
Watch the full interview below:
