Aung La N Sang returns to defend his middleweight crown at ONE Championship: Spirit of a Warrior next month.
One of ONE Championship’s biggest stars will be fighting at home once again, as Aung La N Sang defends his middleweight title next month. In a press release distributed Wednesday, the Asian MMA promotion announced that ‘The Burmese Python,’ who also holds ONE’s light heavyweight title, would face Ken Hasegawa at ONE Championship: Spirit of a Warrior on June 29. The event will take place in the champion’s home country of Myanmar.
Aung La N Sang (22-10) has won his last three fights, capturing both the middleweight and light heavyweight championships in the process. At 7-1 in his ONE Championship career, N Sang has become a massive star for the company, and a huge attraction in his native Myanmar.
How huge?
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Facing him at Spirit of a Warrior will be Ken Hasegawa (16-2-1), a Japanese veteran of RIZIN and Deep (as well as Titan FC) who will be making his ONE Championship debut on the night. Hasegawa 4-1 in his last five bouts, and is coming off a win against Genpei Hayashi at Deep 82. He’s found the finish in four of his past five wins.
Hawegawa’s only professional losses have come against Bellator standout Brennan Ward in RIZIN and Ryuichiro Sumimura in Deep.
Of note, Hasegawa appears to be getting the title shot over Leandro Ataides. Ataides defeated former middleweight champion Vitaly Bigdash this month at Grit and Glory. That bout was viewed as a title eliminator. However, the turnaround time may have been too quick for Ataides. With luck, he may still see the shot down the road.
ONE Championship: Spirit of a Warrior will take place June 29 at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.
