WATCH: Burmese icon Aung La N Sang's inspiring rise from beekeeper to MMA legend
Every professional fighter goes through trials and tribulations on the road to glory. Such was the story of MMA legend and ONE Championship icon Aung La N Sang.
Born in Myitkyina, Kachin, Myanmar, 'The Burmese Python' fell in love with MMA upon moving to the United States for college and even worked as a beekeeper at one point - all while honing his MMA skills.
Aung La N Sang's efforts paid off when he made his ONE Championship debut in 2014. He realized his dreams in June 2017 when he dethroned Vitaly Bigdash for the ONE middleweight MMA world championship in front of his Burmese compatriots.
Watch Aung La N Sang's short documentary below, as posted by ONE on YouTube:
The Kill Cliff FC product made history in February 2018 when he scored a 56-second knockout of Alexandre Machado to capture the ONE light heavyweight MMA world championship — making him the second-ever two-division ONE world champion.
The 39-year-old will have his 20th bout under the ONE banner at ONE 168: Denver on September 6 inside the Ball Arena, where he faces the undefeated Shamil Erdogan.
Aung La N Sang fully prepared for Shamil Erdogan's grappling-heavy offense at ONE 168
Aung La N Sang values preparation and has done so accordingly to contend with Shamil Erdogan's stellar grappling at ONE 168: Denver on September 6 inside the Ball Arena.
In a video that he posted on his YouTube Channel, the former two-division ONE MMA world champion talked about his middleweight MMA bout against the Turkish star, saying:
"Today, I worked a lot of back positions, which I know I might get into in the fight. I won't be surprised if I'm there. Lots of back position, lots of hard work."
Watch the full video below:
Tickets for ONE 168 are available via Ticketmaster.