Aung La N Sang links up with battle-tested veterans to shore up his grappling for ONE 168: “That’s one of my weaknesses”
Former two-division MMA king Aung La N Sang is prepared for Shamil Erdogan's grappling threat.
Since 2014, Aung La has built a promotional resume worthy of making him a ONE Championship great.
The former two-division MMA world champion overcame various high-level grapplers over the last decade and now faces a similar challenge on Sept. 6 at ONE 168: Denver.
Later this week, 'The Burmese Python' has an opportunity to extend his winning streak to four fights. It won't be easy for La N Sang, as he's been matched up against Erdogan, who looked impressive in his promotional debut win against Fan Rong.
In an interview with Cageside Press, the Florida-based athlete spoke about his grappling skills. The 39-year-old had this to say about his training partners, which will continue to pay dividends heading into his matchup against Erdogan:
“I know that's one of my weaknesses, and that's the reason why I moved to Florida. It's the reason why I'm here and I'm always so happy to be here. You know, Craig Jones is very good.”
The 39-year-old followed up by saying:
“And we got two really good fighters here, Jason Jackson and Robbie Lawler. These are guys who have all fought really high-level wrestlers and they've been helping me a lot for this fight.”
Check out Aung La N Sang's entire interview with Cageside Press below:
Aung La N Sang and Shamil Erdogan look to make a statement in ONE middleweight MMA division
Three-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin runs the ONE Championship middleweight MMA division.
The hard-hitting Russian is scheduled to defend his heavyweight title on Nov. 8 against 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane.
Regardless of the result, Malykhin will likely defend his middleweight or light heavyweight throne next. Neither division has a clear-cut number-one contender, creating added stakes for Aung La N Sang and Shamil Erdogan.
La N Sang or Erdogan could secure a title shot with an impressive performance at ONE 168: Denver.
The intriguing stylistic matchup and recent success make this middleweight matchup a dark horse option for Fight of the Night.
Tickets for ONE 168 inside the Ball Arena can be found on Ticketmaster.