Rivalries: Aung La N Sang

Aung La N Sang would like nothing more than to recapture some of his past glory.

A cultural icon in his native Myanmar, the former middleweight and light heavyweight titleholder will square off with Nova Uniao’s Leandro Ataides in the One Championship “Battleground” main event on July 30 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Sang finds himself on the rebound following back-to-back losses to undefeated Dutch grappler Reinier de Ridder on Oct. 30 and April 28. The 36-year-old nevertheless remains a prominent figure in One Championship, where he owns an 11-3 record under the auspices of the Singapore-based organization.

Ahead of Sang’s pivotal showdown with Ataides, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career:

Vitaly Bigdash

Sang learned from his past mistakes, as the Sanford MMA export laid claim to the undisputed One Championship middleweight title and avenged his defeat five months prior with a five-round unanimous decision over Bigdash in the “Light of a Nation” headliner on June 30, 2017 at a raucous Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. All three judges sided with the challenger in the rematch. Sang raced out of the gates and almost overwhelmed his rival inside the first five minutes. He rattled Bigdash with an overhand right, floored him with a left hook and swarmed with elbows and punches, a sustained burst of ground-and-pound nearly forcing a stoppage. It was not the end. Bigdash weathered the assault and turned to takedowns during the ensuing rounds, opening a cut with some elbow-laced strikes from top position. However, Sang managed to largely neutralize his efforts with an active bottom game and flexed his superiority in their standup exchanges whenever he was allowed to operate in open space. His gas tank paid dividends and kept him out of true danger when it mattered most, as he crossed the finish line with his nose in front.

Alexandre Machado

“The Burmese Python” became the second two-division titleholder in One Championship history—Martin Nguyen was the first—when he captured the promotion’s light heavyweight crown with a stirring finish of Machado in the “Quest for Gold” main event on Feb. 23, 2018 at Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. Sang drew the curtain with a head kick and follow-up punches 56 seconds into Round 1, authoring the sixth sub-minute stoppage victory of his career. Sang was active with his kicks from the start, targeting the body and legs before zeroing in on the head. His last kick went high, penetrated Machado’s defenses and sat down “Bebazao” at the base of the fence, where it soon became clear he was in no condition to defend himself from follow-up attacks.

Ken Hasegawa

Considered one of the greatest title fights in One Championship history as it unfolded on June 29, 2018, Sang’s epic encounter with Hasegawa in the “Spirit of a Warrior” headliner has stood the test of time. The back-and-forth affair brought out the best in both men before Sang knocked out the Rizin Fighting Federation veteran with an uppercut 3:13 into the fifth round and retained his middleweight championship, a ravenous crowd roaring its approval at Thuwunna Youth Training Centre Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. Hasegawa answered the favorite at virtually every turn, countering his multi-pronged offensive attack with accurate, high-velocity punching combinations, the vast majority of which targeted the head. Sang nearly finished it in the fourth round, where he floored his weary and visibly damaged challenger, advanced to the back and threatened with a rear-naked choke. Hasegawa survived but only prolonged the inevitable. Sang zeroed in on the body in Round 5, clipped the Japanese standout with a left hook upstairs and separated him from his senses with a dramatic fight-ending uppercut. They met for a second time less than a year later at “A New Era,” where Sang moved to 2-0 in their head-to-head series with a second-round technical knockout.

Reinier de Ridder

“The Dutch Knight” became a rare simultaneous two-division titleholder, as he captured the One Championship light heavyweight crown with a unanimous decision over Sang in the five-round One on TNT 4 headliner on April 28, 2021 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang Singapore. De Ridder had seized control of the promotion’s middleweight championship six months earlier, also at Sang’s expense. The rematch was an exercise in futility. De Ridder executed takedowns in all five rounds, moved either to the back or full mount on multiple occasions, mixed in some ground-and-pound and threatened with various submissions. He nearly finished it inside the first round, where he transitioned to an arm-triangle choke and had Sang in visible distress. The Myanmar-born star weathered those advances but could do nothing to stop de Ridder from dismantling him on the ground across their 25 minutes in the cage.