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Aung La N Sang is gearing up to take on Vitaly Bigdash in a trilogy bout at ONE: Full Circle. 'The Burmese Python' is intent on battling his way back towards the middleweight belt.
Following back-to-back losses against Reinier de Ridder, La N Sang returned to the Circle sporting a new bearded look against Leandro Ataides. He delivered an emphatic knockout in the first round to return to winning ways.
Now, the Sanford MMA fighter says he won't be picking up the razor until his title is back where it belongs. He claims he'll fight whoever is put in front of him in order to get there. During a recent interview, he said:
"It doesn’t matter who’s next. I just want to keep competing and keep getting better. I want the belt back eventually, but it’s up to ONE. I’m not shaving until I get my belt back, and my wife’s getting pretty tired of my beard [laughs]."
Before losing to de Ridder, the 36-year-old was on a 7-fight winning streak. That run began with a win in his rematch with Bigdash at ONE: Light of a Nation.
Aung La N Sang says his wrestling is improved
It's been five years since Aung La N Sang and Vitaly Bigdash last came to blows. Both of their previous encounters went the distance. La N Sang says he's added to his arsenal ahead of the trilogy. He said:
"I would say my wrestling. My wrestling has gotten better. I’ve become a little bit more athletic, I have better body awareness, and my striking is going to be better. I’m going to have a little more power than in my previous fight."
Aung La N Sang is coming off a win over Leandro Ataides at ONE Championship: Battleground. Meanwhile, Bigdash successfully returned from a three-year absence in December last year when he submitted China's Fan Rong.
Overall, the ONE: Full Circle fight card is set to have significant ramifications in the middleweight division.
Reinier de Ridder, the reigning champion, will defend the title against Kiamrian Abbasov in the main event. Further down the card, Leandro Ataides will welcome UFC veteran David Branch to the promotion.
