Former two-division champion Aung La N Sang entered the Ball Arena in Colorado with high hopes. However, his opponent, Shamil Erdogan, seemed to be in top-notch form that night. The 39-year-old failed to maintain his winning run in ONE Championship and lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round. But it seems ‘The Burmese Python’  is not affected by the loss.

He recently took to his Instagram account to share an inspiring message. Aung La N Sang wrote, “Some nights just aren’t your night. But that’s part of the journey. We’ll learn, we’ll grow, and we’ll come back stronger. Thank you all for your unwavering support. The best is yet to come. Thank you to my team, my family and my friends for all the love and support. God is good!”. It’s good to see that the veteran fighter is in high spirits even after his loss. But first, let’s take a look at what exactly happened in his last fight. 

Aung La N Sang had no answer to Shamil Erdogan’s exceptional wrestling skills 

Aung La N Sang entered the fight at ONE 168: Denver high on confidence as he was unbeaten in his last three fights. He won two fights via knockout and submitted Fan Rong at ONE Fight Night 10. However, the veteran fighter just couldn’t replicate his performance on that particular night. Meanwhile, Erdogan impressed everyone with his promotional debut performance against Fan Rong at ONE Friday Fights 22 last year. At ONE 168, the Turkish fighter seemed absolutely unstoppable and was not affected by the hype surrounding his opponent. 

Erdogan started his career as a wrestler and has transitioned very smoothly into MMA. He used his wrestling skills to full effect in the first round and did not allow the former two-division champion to settle at all. ‘The Burmese Python’ was aware that his opponent was a master grappler and had also worked on his wrestling skills during his training camp. Despite all those preparations, Aung La just couldn’t defend the takedowns in the first round. Erdogan was relentless in his pressure and did not even give an inch to his opponent and was able to control the fight on the ground for most of the first round. 

The damage was already done, and the Turkish fighter started the second round high on confidence. It was just a matter of time before the two-division champion crumbled as Erdogan started to land some brutal shots. The 34-year-old not only has wrestling skills but also has very good striking, which was pretty evident in the fight. He finally ended the fight in the second round via a technical knockout and extended his undefeated run to 10 fights, including two wins in ONE Championship. Although Aung La N Sang lost the fight, it’s definitely not the end of the road for him. The 39-year-old can still get a shot at the belt but must work for it. 

Aung La N Sang and his dream of a middleweight title is still on 

The middleweight division in ONE Championship is stacked with some elite fighters, and Anatoly Malykhin currently sits at the top spot. The title was once held by Aung La N Sang, who defeated Vitaly Bigdash at ONE: Light of a Nation back in June 2017 to win the belt. He also held the light heavyweight strap and was the second two-division champion in ONE history. However, since dropping both belts in 2020 and 2021, he has been trying to work his way back to world title contention once again. 

‘The Burmese Python’ had high hopes before his clash at ONE 168: Denver and was hoping to get a title shot if he won the fight. But the Turkish fighter proved to be a better man on the night and unfortunately derailed his plans. At 39, Aung La N Sang is definitely at the twilight of his career. Currently, there is no announcement of his next fight, but he will need to get back to winning ways to get a title shot. While he previously competed in two weight classes, he will now focus on the middleweight division, as he revealed. 

But the biggest question is who will the former two-division champion face next in his career? Will he get the opportunity to go for the belt again in his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.