Aung La N Sang insists he is ready to slide into next month’s ONE Championship middleweight title fight on short notice next month. Champ Reinier de Ridder (14-0) is set to defend his belt against welterweight king Kiamrian Abbasov (23-4) in February 25’s ONE: Full Circle main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium, and a positive Covid-19 test or injury for either man could open up an opportunity for “The Burmese Python”. The 36-year-old N Sang (27-12, 1 no contest) is booked for the same card in a long-awaited trilogy bout against Russia’s Vitaly Bigdash (11-2). There’s also the possibility of a third big fight in the division taking place, if Leandro Ataides’ bout with Yushin Okami – which was scratched from January 14’s ONE: Heavy Hitters card – can be rescheduled quickly enough. “Hopefully it’s on the 25th as well, so we get a good showing from the middleweights,” N Sang told the Post . “And if anything happens with Covid … anything can happen, so I’m not gonna put my heart into just Vitaly. “Somebody could fall out, or Vitaly could fall out and I might end up competing against any one of them. I want to prove I’m one of the best middleweights in the world, so it doesn’t matter who I fight. So I will just stay ready and focus on being a better version of myself.” ONE: Malykhin tests positive for Covid-19, title fight postponed Former ONE middleweight and light heavyweight champion N Sang surrendered both of his belts to the undefeated “Dutch Knight” De Ridder over a torrid six-month spell from October 2020 to April 2021. But he bounced back with a highlight-reel KO against Brazil’s Ataides last July. With the spring back in his step, “The Burmese Python” is confident the third time could be the charm against De Ridder. “Oh for sure,” N Sang said. “I’ve been working a lot on my weaknesses. It would be a different fight altogether. Stylistically he’s a bad match-up for me, but I’m working on my deficiencies.” One area where N Sang certainly isn’t lacking is finishing, and Asian martial arts promotion ONE’s new US$50,000 performance bonus policy will give him added incentive – not that he needs any – against Bigdash. “It doesn’t matter, I always come to finish a fight,” he said. “For me, as a fighter and a mixed martial arts fan, you want to see people go for it. It’s a sport, but combat sports is a little bit different from basketball or soccer. It’s a shorter time, and it shouldn’t be played, it should be a fight. “I like to put on exciting fights and on the 25th I plan on doing the same. If it means getting the US$50,000 bonus, it is what it is.” The fact there’s only three rounds against Bigdash this time, after going 25 minutes together twice, should up the intensity nicely, as well. “He’s the reason why I am where I am, so I have nothing but love for him,” N Sang said. “He’s a great competitor, and I’m the man who I am because of him, going 10 rounds with him. “Vitaly wants it too. I think he feels like I took everything from him. He’s made me a better man and we’re gonna put on great show, and I promise its gonna end with a bang.”