Teammates will collide at UFC 251 when Kamaru Usman defends his welterweight title against Gilbert Burns. And their fellow Sanford MMA fighter Aung La N Sang admits “it’s a little awkward”. N Sang, the middleweight and light heavyweight champion in Asian promotion ONE Championship, trains alongside “The Nigerian Nightmare” and “Durinho” at Sanford’s Florida gym. “There’s no drama,” N Sang told SCMP MMA’s Post Fight Podcast , however “sometimes they work in separate areas, but it’s something they chose to do. It’s a little awkward, but it’s OK.” “The Burmese Python” confirmed gym founder and coach Henri Hooft will not be cornering either Burns or Usman for the bout on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi on July 11. “It’s awkward, but it is what it is – they’re just trying to provide for their families. They’re both my friends and they’re both great teammates, so I wish them the best,” he said. While he wouldn’t stretch to giving a prediction (“no, please don’t ask” he said, laughing) N Sang did suggest it will be a great fight. ONE: Tonon says No 5 ranking ‘generous’ but still wants title shot “I think so, they’re both exciting,” he said of champion Usman (16-1) and Burns (19-3), who has reinvented himself since returning to 170 pounds last August. N Sang (26-10) is part of a three-strong ONE contingent training out of Sanford MMA, alongside fellow Burmese “The Dragon Leg” Tial Thang (2-0) and featherweight champ Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen (13-3). But luckily the 35-year-old will never have to fight either – which is good, given they stay at N Sang’s house when they are in camp. “Yeah, it’s bound to happen [teammates fighting] if you have really good guys at the same weight class,” N Sang said, referencing a Sanford MMA roster which also features the likes of former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler, and Vicente Luque, who are ranked 12 and 13 respectively and could well be on a collision course. “If you have like eight to 10 really good guys in the welterweight division, and a lot of them are ranked, it’s bound to happen, so it is what it is.”