“I want to fight every month” - Aung La N Sang wants a quick turnaround after ONE 168: Denver
Aung La N Sang plans to make a quick turnaround following ONE 168: Denver.
On Friday, September 6, Aung La will make his twentieth appearance under the ONE Championship banner. The former two-division MMA world champion's latest fight should be special, as he's scheduled to face the undefeated Shamil Erdogan when the promotion returns to North America.
Aung La isn't the type of fighter to overlook any opponent, especially someone undefeated like Erdogan. With that said, 'The Burmese Python' does have plans to remain active if he emerges victorious at ONE 168, which he explained by saying this during an interview with Nick Atkins:
"100 percent [I want a quick turnaround]. I want to fight every month. I want to make it devastating. I want to make it the best run yet."
Heading into ONE 168, Aung La N Sang is coming off three consecutive finishes - Yushin Okami (first-round knockout), Gilberto Galvao (first-round knockout), and Fan Rong (second-round submission). Meanwhile, Shamil Erdogan's lone promotional fight took place in June 2023 (second-round knockout against Fan).
Watch Aung La's entire interview with Nick Atkins below:
What could be next for Aung La N Sang following potential win against Shamil Erdogan?
Aung La N Sang's status as a former two-division MMA world champion strengthens his presence as a middleweight contender, even if he wasn't on a three-fight winning streak. Therefore, an impressive performance against Shamil Erdogan could lead to a title shot in early 2025.
Aung La's interest in remaining active might force him to fight another non-title fight later this year. The reason is that three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin, who runs the middleweight division, is scheduled to defend his heavyweight throne against 'Reug Reug' on November 8 at ONE 169: Atlanta.
There's also a possibility that Aung La will fight someone for an interim middleweight MMA throne. Firstly, the Myanmar native must get through Erdogan, who plans to take out Aung La and challenge Malykhin himself.
ONE 168: Denver will air live from the Ball Arena in Colorado. Tickets for Friday's highly-anticipated event can be found on Ticketmaster. North American fans can also watch the stacked fight card with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.