ONE Championship: Aung La N Sang Content With Role As Gatekeeper, But Not For Long

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Former two-division ONE World Champion Aung La N Sang has recently re-emerged among his middleweight peers. Now, after putting in back-to-back wins for the first time since 2019, the Myanmar man finds himself on the cusp of divisional gold.

In order to take the next step toward the middleweight throne, "The Burmese Python" must surpass Chinese gargantuan Fan Rong in ONE Championship's US debut at Colorado's sold-out 1stBank Center at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Saturday, May 6.

Having knocked out Gilberto Galvao in the first round this past January at ONE Fight Night 6 to start his year in fine order, as well as defeating MMA legend Yushin Okami in late 2022, Aung La N Sang feels more motivated than ever to ascend the ranks again.

The former ONE Middleweight World Champion was due to face Fan at this past January's event, but the bout was rescheduled until this May. Now, Aung La N Sang recognises the stature of his adversary and what a strong performance could do against a fellow fierce contender.

"I just take it as it is. I mean, I don't need extra motivation. I have motivation in me already. There's a reason why I fight. And it's bigger than Fan Rong. It's bigger than me. I don't need extra motivation. I'm just going to go out there," he said.

"Sometimes, the outcomes are not good. But it is what it is. For me, it doesn't matter. Fan Rong, we're scheduled again. I am motivated to put on a good show against him. It's nothing personal, for sure."

On the other side, Aung La N Sang wants to get the middleweight crown back. While he has reascended the ranks at middleweight, the Kill Cliff FC product hasn't minded playing the role of the gatekeeper. However, that's not a moniker he plans to hold for much longer.

"I want to keep the gate before I storm back into my castle," the 37-year-old said. "I want to beat everybody. I want to beat everybody, and I want to get my title back.

"Being a gatekeeper, people think you're washed up. People think you should hang it up. I want to show that it's not."

Source: Media Release