“Life is about proving yourself, to yourself” - Aung La N Sang at peace with decision to hang up his gloves

Former ONE light heavyweight and middleweight MMA world champion ‘The Burmese Python’ Aung La N Sang of Myanmar is fresh off the final fight of his professional career.

The 40-year-old delivered a vintage performance, defeating former ONE welterweight MMA world champion ‘The Bandit’ Zebaztian Kadestam via second-round technical knockout at ONE Fight Night 36: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella II on Prime Video last weekend.

After the fight, Aung La N Sang announced his retirement from MMA, and he couldn’t wait to share his knowledge with the next generation by putting up his own gym back home in Florida, called Python MMA.

Speaking to veteran ONE Championship reporter Nick Atkin in a post-fight interview, Aung La N Sang says he is at peace with his decision to ride off into the sunset.

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‘The Burmese Python’ said:

“Life is about proving yourself, to yourself. I don’t need to prove anything to anybody. When I turned 40, I don’t need to prove to anybody. I just have to prove to myself. That’s one thing that I feel so much at peace with. I don’t need anybody’s validation. I’m 40 years old — I know what I need to do, I know who I am. And if I’m good with God, I’m good with everybody else.”

Aung La N Sang dedicates final fight to Myanmar fans: “I love you so much”

‘The Burmese Python’ Aung La N Sang made history as the first MMA world champion out of Myanmar, and his superstardom in his home country reached rockstar levels.

Going out at ONE Fight Night 36 in front of raucous Burmese fans at Lumpinee Stadium was a fitting send off for a legend.

Afterward, Aung La N Sang had this to say about his fans in attendance. He told Nick Atkin:

“I love you so much. These moments like this—these highs, these lows happen in life. But you know what’s most important is family, and the people that you love. My Myanmar fans understand that you go through highs and you go through lows, but the most important thing is having that love in your heart and you continue fighting, no matter what. Let’s go.”

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 36: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella II via replay on demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Himakshu Vyas