“I’m going to look to break him” - Aung La N Sang says Yushin Okami is going to be in a world of hurt at ONE 163

At ONE 163, Aung La N Sang returns to the circle with an important fight for his career. ‘The Burmese Python’ will take on a fellow Asian MMA legend when he meets Japan’s Yushin ‘Thunder’ Okami for the first time.

The fight is seen as a must-win for Aung La if he is to keep competing at the highest level in ONE Championship. Since losing his middleweight and light heavyweight world championships to Reinier de Ridder, he has been unable to recapture his previous momentum.

Going 1-1 since his fights with the Dutchman, a fight with Okami is a great spectacle for the fans, but also a chance to get back in the win column for both fighters.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Aung La N Sang spoke about how despite his respect for Yushin Okami, he is going into ONE 163 with only one thing in mind:

“I’m going to look to break him. As soon as we touch gloves, I’m going to look to break him.”

Yushin Okami has been out of competition for three years, going 1-2 in ONE Championship before taking his break.

Aung La has shown his respect for Okami in the lead-up to this fight. But as November 19 gets closer, the time for compliments is coming to an end. Another win on his record has to be the main focus for ‘The Burmese Python’.

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“I think he’s problematic for me” - Aung La N Sang ready for a clash of styles against Yushin Okami

At ONE 163, Aung La N Sang has a lot to prove in his return to the circle. ‘The Burmese Python’ will take on Japanese MMA legend Yushin Okami, a fight which he believes will give him the opportunity to show the improvements he has been working on.

Aung La massively needs a win on his return after going 1-3 in his last four fights. It became clear in his two losses to Reinier de Ridder that he couldn’t deal with the Dutchman’s high-level grappling. This is something that he has been working hard at to improve his overall game in preparation for his return.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Aung La N Sang spoke about being wary of the threats that Yushin Okami brings to the fight:

“Stylistically, I think he’s problematic for me. He’s longer and he has more range as a grappler, and that’s the kind of fight that I have problems with. And so this is stylistically, for him, a good matchup, and for me, I feel like it’s a good matchup too.”

Whilst adding a fellow legend to his resume is a perk of this upcoming match-up, Aung La has to show the developments in his game to prove that he can still compete at a high-level despite his recent defeats.