Aung La N Sang says he’s thrilled to be part of MMA’s evolution over the past two decades: “I get to ride this wave”

Aung La N Sang is thrilled to be part of the mixed martial arts evolution.

With 44 career fights and 20 years in the game, 'The Burmese Python' has seen fighters of all types come and go over the years. Along the way, he's made his mark in the sport by becoming a two-division ONE world champion and establishing himself as one of the most celebrated athletes out of Myanmar.

Speaking with Combat Sports Today ahead of his return to the Circle, Aung La N Sang spoke about the continued evolution of MMA and how he feels being a part of a sport that is constantly producing new next-level talent.

"It’s just cool that this sport’s evolved, man," he said. "You’ve got guys who are Olympic-level wrestlers that are coming into the sport now. There’s good high-level kickboxing too. It’s evolving, and I get to ride this wave, so it’s kinda cool for me."

At this point in his career, Aung La N Sang has nothing left to prove, but that won't stop the Myanmar superstar from trying to climb back to the top of ONE Championship's stacked middleweight MMA division.

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Aung La N Sang looks to even the series against Shamil Erdogan at ONE 171: Qatar

Returning to martial arts' biggest stage on Thursday, Feb. 20 for his 45th career fight, Aung La N Sang will run it back with Turkish knockout artist Shamil Erdogan at ONE 171: Qatar.

Emanating from the Lusail Sports Arena, 'The Burmese Python' will look to strike back at Erdogan who handed him a rather vicious second-round knockout loss in their first meeting at ONE 168: Denver in September. The loss snapped Aung La N Sang's three-fight win streak and set him back on his journey up the contender's ladder.

If the former two-division titleholder can bounce back and hand Erdogan his first career loss in MMA, it would go a long way towards earning Aung La N Sang a shot at once again becoming a ONE world champion.

ONE 171: Qatar will emanate from the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar on Thursday, Feb. 20. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.