ONE Championship has officially announced that middleweight champion Vitaly Bigdash will face Aung La N Sang next month. In a press release today, the Asian MMA outfit confirmed news initially released during their ONE Championship: Dynasty of Heroes broadcast last week. With today’s announcement, the rematch (the pair first met in January at ONE Championship: Quest for Power with Bigdash picking up the victory) now has an official event and date attached. ONE Championship: Light of a Nation will take place June 30 in Yangon, Myanmar.
Bigdash (9-0) is undefeated in his professional career, much of which was fought under the ProFC banner. Upon joining ONE Championship in 2015, he made an immediate impact, knocking out Igor Svirid to claim the promotion’s middleweight title. The January scrap with Aung La N Sang represented his first title defense.
Aung La N Sang (19-10), meanwhile, will be making his sixth ONE Championship appearance at Light of a Nation, in his home country no less. Neither fighter has competed since their January meeting.
In a statement in today’s release, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said
“The first bout was an absolute showcase of incredible skill and unwavering determination, and the rematch promises nothing short of another classic. Yangon’s favorite son, Aung La N Sang, will get another crack at the ONE Middleweight World Championship held by Vitaly Bigdash. This time, it will be on his home turf. Fans will not want to miss all the action that goes down at ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION this June!”
This pairing, and the timing, may put the kibosh on Ben Askren’s desire to meet Bigdash in August.
