Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3095220/one-championships-aung-la-n-sang-pound-pound Mixed Martial Arts
ONE Championship’s Aung La N Sang is pound for pound ‘martial artist’ No 1, says Ali Abdelaziz
- Abdelaziz, who is bringing some free agents to ONE, praises middleweight and light heavyweight champion as ‘an example’
- ‘If you chose one fighter out there in the whole world, and said show an example of martial arts, it’s gonna be Aung’
Aung La N Sang (left) hugs birthday boy Brandon Vera ahead of their fight at ONE: Century in Tokyo. Photos: ONE Championship
Ali Abdelaziz is expanding into Asia and bringing some of his free agents to ONE Championship. But it’s a fighter already on the Singapore-based promotion’s roster that he has the most admiration for.
“I have a lot of respect for Aung La N Sang,” the Dominance MMA Management CEO told SCMP MMA’s Post Fight. “I think he’s a great champion. He holds the promotion in such regard. I think he’s an example.
“If you chose one fighter out there, in the whole world, and said show an example of martial arts, it’s gonna be Aung. Aung is gonna be pound for pound the martial artist No 1 of my choice.”
“The Burmese Python” N Sang (26-10) is Asian martial arts organisation ONE’s middleweight and light heavyweight champion. He trains out of Sanford MMA in Florida with several of Abdelaziz’s high-profile clients including UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, No 1 welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, and former light heavyweight challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
The 35-year-old N Sang and Burns both contracted Covid-19, the latter having to drop out of the UFC 251 main event against Usman on Fight Island, but are back training after recovering from the virus.
“ONE is a great place to be,” Abdelaziz added. “It’s not only a fighter organisation, it’s about martial arts. You have to be a martial artist to be there. You have to fit in, to cater to the Asian fans.
“But it also has some of the best fighters in the world, like Aung La, Demetrius Johnson – a future Hall of Famer – and Eddie Alvarez, I can bring a lot to the table, they can bring a lot to the table, it can a great partnership for sure.”
Aung La N Sang celebrates stopping Brandon Vera.
Abdelaziz teased some big signing announcements in an interview on SCMP MMA’s Post Fight – and admitted there might be some bittersweet ramifications.
“Aung is my friend. I don’t wanna bring somebody to beat him, but at the end of day it’s business,” Abdelaziz said. “I know a lot of killers. I have a lot of Russian killers, a lot of American killers, and they can come to ONE and dominate too, it’s simple.”