Aung La N Sang Believes a Win Over Brandon Vera Adds Credibility to His Career

Aung La N Sang is the reigning One Championship middleweight and light heavyweight champion and is on a six-fight winning streak. He has successfully defended the light heavyweight belt in his past three fights. In his next fight at the One "Century" event, he will have arguably the toughest fight to date when he takes on heavyweight champion Brandon Vera at light heavyweight. For Sang, this is a fight that has been discussed for a while and he is glad it is finally happening.

"It has been in the works for a while, so for it to finally be happening is nice," Sang said to Sherdog.com. "Since the last fight, I have been adding weight correctly so we will be weighing about the same when we fight. Size is not going to be a factor."

When he does fight Vera, Sang knows the stakes for this fight are high. He wants to remain the light heavyweight champion, but the opponent is also a big name. "The Burmese Python" knows not many North American fans know who he is, so a win here shows just how good he is.

"It gives me some credibility. I have been training and fighting a lot in Asia, so the MMA media in the west don't really know how good I am," he explained. "So, a win just shows I am good and gives me that credibility. I'm a big fan of his so it is an honor to fight him."

With Vera, he knows the former UFC fighter has knockout power and has to wary of it. Yet, he believes it will be "The Truth" being the one knocked out.

"I do feel like one of us is going to get knocked out," he says. "I'm a finisher, out of my 25 wins, 23 is by stoppage. I don't see any other way this fight ends. I just want to put on a good fight and finish this fight."

If Sang can beat Vera, he already hopes he can drop back down in weight and defend the middleweight strap next time out. "Ideally, I would like to defend the middleweight belt in December. That is the goal," Sang said. "I want to stay active and defend both belts. When I can't defend both belts is the day I will vacate one of them."

Ultimately, Sang is confident heading into his fight on Oct. 13. He knows just how good he is, and training at Hard Knocks 365 with the likes of Kamaru Usman and Robbie Lawler has only made him better.

"It lets you know where you stand. You can't go in there half-ass. If you are slacking, that room will eat you alive," he explained. "It keeps you on your best, they push me and I push them. It is nice to train at Hard Knocks 365."

In the end, when Sang makes the walk to the cage he will be headlining yet another One Championship which is still surreal for him. "It is an honor, it is 14 years of hard work. It is a big responsibility for me. I am very grateful I have this opportunity and will make the most of it."