ONE Championship: Aung La N Sang dedicates Singapore fight to Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson after death from illness at 38
- ‘The Burmese Python’ says his former training partner ‘is gonna be in my thoughts for sure’ when he fights on Saturday’s ONE 163 card
- ‘It just goes to show that life is short and you’ve got to be thankful and feel blessed to be alive and do what you love,’ N Sang says
The pressure of any fight week can already be overbearing for most fighters.
But when Aung La N Sang makes the walk to the ONE Championship cage on Saturday, he will be thinking about his friend and former training partner Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who died on Sunday aged 38 after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.
Johnson joined the UFC in 2007 and was a two-time light heavyweight title challenger before hanging up his gloves in 2017. He came out of retirement four years later and got a final knockout win in May 2021 to improve his record to 23-6.
“I mean it’s really, really sad because you saw him maybe a year and a half ago in the [Bellator] tournament, competing in his peak shape, and just months later he’s going through all this and it breaks my heart,” N Sang said.
“It just goes to show that life is short and you’ve got to be thankful and feel blessed to be alive and do what you love, like I love what I do.
“That’s why I can’t hold animosity or hatred over little things like a loss. For me, it’s motivation for sure. I get to wake up on Saturday morning and do what I love and get ready for my fight, and Rumble is gonna be in my thoughts for sure.”
N Sang paid a touching tribute on Instagram to the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Johnson, whom he trained with at the Sanford MMA gym, now renamed Kill Cliff FC, in Florida before the American fell ill.
“See you on the other side my friend Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson!” he wrote.
“I’m going to miss you kicking me in the head and then fixing your shin guard when I’m about to kick you back. I’m going to miss your positive talks before going into a fight. Most of all I’m going to miss your smile in the gym.”
The 37-year-old said he is planning another tribute to Johnson for his walkout at Singapore Indoor Stadium, where he will face Japanese veteran Yushin Okami on Saturday night at the ONE 164 event.
He will also be proudly wearing the flag of Myanmar – where the situation back in his native country continues to weigh heavy on his shoulders, with fans looking to him for hope amid dark times.
“It’s difficult for sure, but you’ve got to manage that and see it as a motivation,” he said. “You can’t just dwell on it and be sad about it. In camp, even in my hard times, I pressed through and I’m here healthy and I’m ready to go.”
Win against Okami on Saturday and N Sang could potentially be in line for another crack at De Ridder, who took both of his middleweight and light heavyweight belts.
But while the pair were once rivals, De Ridder has since befriended N Sang, and they even trained together this year in Florida.
“I don’t have hatred over anybody that I compete against or will compete against, it’s just a sport,” N Sang said. “At the end of the day, we’re just men trying to make a living for our families.
“We get in that Circle and put on a show for the fans, and it’s gonna be violent, but after we’re gonna shake hands and be cool with each other.
“We’re martial artists and we have to respect each other.”
