Aung La N Sang defends ONE crown in Myanmar
YANGON, MYANMAR — Reigning ONE Championship Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar will defend his middleweight title against Ken Hasegawa of Japan in the main event for the upcoming card, “ONE: Spirit of a Warrior,” on June 29 at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, the mixed martial arts promotion recently announced.
Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “Whenever Aung La N Sang steps foot on Myanmar soil, he is greeted by throngs of screaming fans. He truly is Myanmar’s biggest star, and is a great representative of the country’s strength and resolve. Our ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion is ready to face a tough new opponent in Japan’s Ken Hasegawa, and I am super excited for another action- packed evening in Yangon.
Thirty-three-year-old Aung La N Sang is Myanmar’s most successful athlete in history. Born in Myitkyina in the mountainous Kachin State, he belongs to an ethnic minority known as the Kachin. Aung La N Sang captured the middleweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Vitaly Bigdash in June 2017. In his most recent bout, he defeated Brazil’s Alexandre Machado to be crowned the new light heavyweight world champion.
Japan’s Hasegawa, 31, is a martial arts veteran set to make his ONE Championship debut. The middleweight contender has finished three of his last five opponents, showcasing the undeniable submission skills and thunderous knockout power that he has become known for competing in Japanese martial arts promotions Deep and Rizin. He has a professional record of 16-2-1, which includes four submissions and six scintillating knockouts.
Aung La N Sang said of his upcoming fights: “It is always a pleasure and a privilege to share my skills and talents to everyone back home. As champion, I am willing to take on all comers. It is an honor to represent the country of Myanmar on the biggest global stage of martial arts competition. This world championship means a lot to me, to those who have been behind my career from the very beginning, to my family, and to my friends. I will do everything in my power to defend this title against the hungry lion that is Ken Hasegawa.”