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Former two-division ONE world champion Aung La N Sang is set to face Japanese MMA stalwart Yushin Okami at ONE 163. 'The Burmese Python' will be traveling to Singapore with the intention of getting back in the winning column. In preparation for Okami, Aung La N Sang seems to be focusing more on grappling.
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Okami has had 12 of his 37 wins come by way of knockout and perhaps Aung La wants to counter the Japanese fighter's striking prowess with good ol' grappling. In an interview with SCMP MMA, 'The Burmese Python' spoke about the athletes helping him out in elevating his grappling game for ONE 163:
“Rogan Gracie. Rogan is one of them. Eric Coyne as well. More of the jiu-jitsu-heavy guys. Herbert Burns. These are the guys that I work with, a lot of the grapplers, a lot more grappling with this camp. But at the same time, my striking is going to be sharp too.”
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We all know Aung La's power on the feet. Elevating his ground game will surely make him even more dangerous. We'll see if he uses his newfound grappling expertise to maul Okami in the clinch or just straight blast him with a power double leg and pound his face on the ground. We'll just have to wait and see.
Watch the full interview here:
Aung La N Sang promises an exciting fight between him and Yushin Okami
After both Aung La and Yushin Okami implored ONE Championship to book a fight between them, they finally got the bout they wanted. In the same interview with SCMP MMA, the Burmese MMA star spoke about how his fight camp is going and his intentions on tearing the roof off come ONE 163:
"Good, everything's good. Training camp is going well. I'm just excited to get back and showcase what I've been working on in the last half-year. We've done everything we need to, we're now just doing the final touches. And you guys are going to see a new version of me and an exciting fight between Okami and me."
Aung La N Sang, perhaps channeling his greatness when he fought Japan's Ken Hasegawa in front of his home crowd in Myanmar, wants to pull off the same thing with Okami. Now, however, he won’t have the strength of the millions of Myanmar people behind him in the arena. If the Hasegawa fight is any indication, expect Aung La and Okami to produce another all-time classic war inside the Circle.
Watch Aung La N Sang's fight with Ken Hasegawa here:
