“It's not really up to us” - Aung La N Sang on knowing when to hang up his gloves for good

Former two-division world champion Aung La N Sang won’t consider retirement until the right moment shows up on his doorstep.

The 37-year-old veteran has found some success over the last few months, defeating two tough opponents in Yushin Okami and Gilberto Galvao by smashing first-round knockouts.

Feeling stronger and healthier than before, Aung La is putting all talk of retirement on the fringe. In a post-fight interview at ONE Fight Night 6, ‘The Burmese Python’ said:

“It's when the time is up, the time is up. It's not really up to us. I want to keep putting on shows to the fans and keep progressing as a mixed martial artist. When you stop growing, when you stop evolving, it's when the world passes by you."

He added:

"So I really feel like I still got what it takes and when I do go, I want it to be on my terms. Make sure I do everything right. It doesn't really depend on me, it's in God's hands. I can't tell you when I'm going to go and how I'm going to go. But whenever I step in, I'm willing to die.”

On Friday night, Burmese fans at the Impact Arena welcomed their hero with deafening cheers and chants as he made his way to the circle. Professional cross trainer and BJJ black belt, Gilberto Galvao, looked like the Hulk as he strutted side-to-side waiting for Aung La to step inside the cage.

In the build-up to the fight, ‘The Burmese Python’ promised his fans a good show and that’s exactly what they witnessed and more. Aung La very quickly earned Galvao’s respect with an early knockdown to open the round.

A few seconds later, ‘The Burmese Python’ would earn the 20th first-round finish of his career via ground and pound to end the three-round bout.

Watch the full post-fight interview below:

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Aung La N Sang says choosing a Burmese tune for his walkout at ONE Fight Night 6 was intentional

ONE light heavyweight contender Aung La N Sang is proud of his Burmese roots. Despite leaving the country at a young age for the United States, he keeps the Myanmar people deep in his heart and prayers.

From overseas, the father-of-three continues to be a strong voice of hope for the Burmese people, who are experiencing a political crisis in their home country. Honored to have some of his countrymen watching his fight in Thailand, Aung La dedicated his fight to them with a Burmese walkout song.

In the post-fight interview with SCMP MMA, he said:

“I heard from my friends that there were gonna be a lot of Myanmar nationals. There were a lot of them even when we went to the mall. Even people from my state were here. I knew there was going to be a big Myanmar crowd, and that’s why my entrance song was in Burmese.”