“I was looking forward to Japan” - Aung La N Sang rues missed opportunity to fight Yushin Okami in Japan

ONE Championship legend Aung La N Sang will return to the circle on November 19 as part of the promotion’s stacked lineup at ONE 163. Featuring a slew of elite Japanese mixed martial artists, ‘The Burmese Python’ will throw hands with another legend of the sport, Yushin ‘Thunder’ Okami.

The two Asian icons have been rumored to square off against one another for quite some time, but the matchup will finally happen when ONE Championship returns to the Singapore Indoor Stadium later this month.

Initially, the bout between Aung La N Sang and ‘Thunder’ was to take place in Okami’s home country. Speaking to The MMA Super Fan, ‘The Burmese Python’ revealed that he wasn’t entirely sure why the bout location changed, but is happy to compete in a much warmer climate whenever possible:

“I’m not sure. It's a mystery to me as well. The initial bout agreement was for Japan, for the stadium there. But a month in, they switched it up. I was looking forward to Japan, but it's going to be very cold in Japan. So I'm okay with that, I'm a warm-blooded person. So in that instance, I'm okay with it.”

Aung La N Sang will look to get back into the win column at ONE 163 after a disappointing unanimous decision loss in the culmination of his trilogy with former ONE middleweight world champion Vitaly Bigdash in February.

Since 2020, ‘The Burmese Python’ has gone 1-3 in his last four. With Okami stepping into the bout 1-2 in his last three appearances, it could very well be win or go home for both MMA legends.

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Aung La N Sang ready to show off his improvements heading into ONE 163

After a recent run of unfortunate results, fan-favorite Aung La N Sang is ready to get back on the winning track on Saturday, November 19 when he returns to the circle for the 17th time against a seasoned veteran of the sport in Yushin Okami.

Ready to begin rewriting the wrongs of the past, ‘The Burmese Python’ discussed the changes he has implemented ahead of his highly-anticipated return:

“Before I came to Henry [Hooft], I was more of a grappler too. So I know I've neglected that part of my game, and I know what a good camp is like, that part can be sharpened as well. And so for me, it's like the evolution of mixed martial arts, the evolution of me growing as a fighter, you know, that's what excites me. That's what gets me up at night and in the morning to train, so I'm excited.”

Okami finds himself in a similar position, though ‘Thunder’ is coming off his breakthrough win in the promotion. However, his split decision win against Agilan Thani came a little over three years ago owing to travel restrictions and uncontrollable circumstances.

Watch Aunga La's highlights in ONE Championship below: