“He's the one that called me out first” - Aung La N Sang ready to face Yushin Okami’s challenge

Yushin Okami got his wish and will now be facing Aung La N Sang later this month. These two dangerous middleweight fighters will clash at ONE 163 on November 19.

Aung La N Sang was happy to accept the showdown as he has a lot of regard for the Japanese-born MMA fighter. In an interview with SCMP MMA, 'The Burmese Python' said:

"Yeah, I mean, he wanted it too. He's the one that called me out first. And I'm like, yeah, it's a fight that I would love to have. He's someone that I've looked up to and have been watching since the other promotions. So for me to compete against him, it feels great. It's very satisfying."

For Aung La, this is the exact matchup that he wanted. Okami is coming off a win against Agilan Thani in 2019. 'The Burmese Python' is a former two-division world champion in ONE, but most recently is coming off a loss to Vitaly Bigdash. In an interview with ONE, the 37-year-old fighter said:

“My last performance is not who I am, and I need to right my wrong, and I need to put on the best show, my best performance. And I think I'm much better than how I performed in my last fight.”

Both fighters at ONE 163 will need a victory to keep their prestigious positions in the rankings. The middleweight showdown is the perfect fight for both men.

See the full interview with SCMP MMA below:

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Respect between Yushin Okami and Aung La N Sang

Given how much history these two MMA fighters have, there is much-deserved respect between Okami and Aung La. While speaking at a ONE 163 press conference, 'The Burmese Python' explained:

“When I first got an offer to this fight Yushin Okami, I was very excited. I’ve been a big fan of his, and have been watching him in different promotions as well. So to be able to test my skills with one of my favorite Asian mixed martial artists is a huge honor for me.”

'Thunder' returned this respectful statement with his own. At a Tokyo press conference, Okami said:

“I have watched him closely, respected him, and thought he was great. I moved up to middleweight to fight him. I thought this was the best thing to do in ONE. I asked on social media, and Aung La N Sang and Chatri eventually agreed to set up the fight.”

Two fighters will collide on November 19 at ONE 163. Aung La N Sang will look to get back in the win column while Yushin Okami needs his first win in years.