{"id":194586,"date":"2025-10-07T05:32:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T05:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/194586\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T05:32:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T05:32:08","slug":"aung-la-n-sang-reflects-on-storied-mma-career-one-for-the-ages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/194586\/","title":{"rendered":"Aung La N Sang reflects on storied MMA career: “One for the ages”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twenty-one years of sacrifice compressed into one final walk for Aung La N Sang. The emotions hadn\u2019t fully settled when Myanmar\u2019s greatest sports hero reflected on his retirement victory against Zebaztian Kadestam.<\/p>\n

The 40-year-old former two-division ONE MMA World Champion defeated Kadestam via second-round TKO at ONE Fight Night 36<\/a> on Friday, October 3, inside Bangkok, Thailand\u2019s Lumpinee Stadium. He secured the 31st victory of his professional MMA career while earning a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.<\/p>\n

The opening round saw both former champions trading carefully, each respecting the knockout power standing across from them. But once the second round began, \u201cThe Burmese Python\u201d unleashed hell. Short punches found their mark on Kadestam\u2019s face before a devastating right hand crumpled the Swedish striker against the ropes.<\/p>\n

The referee stopped the fight at 2:20 as Aung La N Sang rained down strikes on his defenseless opponent. The victory carried special meaning because of who stood opposite him. Kadestam wasn\u2019t just another opponent \u2014 he was a friend, someone Aung La N Sang genuinely respected both inside and outside competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt good. I don\u2019t know \u2014 it hasn\u2019t soaked in yet, you know? It hasn\u2019t soaked in, but I\u2019m sure it\u2019s going to be one for the ages. I\u2019m just very appreciative that it all went well, and all the preparation and hard work came to this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe hits so hard. I felt his punches, and now I know why he knocks people out cold. I\u2019ve been a fan of his and a friend of his\u2014it was kind of hard. But as a mixed martial artist, as fighters, that\u2019s what we do. For my last dance, who better way to do it against than somebody I looked up to and somebody I really like as a fighter.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Aung La N Sang reveals what sustained him through brutal career<\/p>\n

The Myanmar icon\u2019s professional journey began in 2005, spanning two decades of punishment and glory. From working as a migratory beekeeper to becoming his nation\u2019s first MMA World Champion, Aung La N Sang navigated valleys that would\u2019ve broken lesser men.<\/p>\n

What kept him pushing forward when defeat seemed inevitable? The answer comes from somewhere deeper than trophies or paychecks. His retirement won\u2019t mark the end of his association with ONE Championship. The promotion announced<\/a> he\u2019ll be inducted into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame at ONE 173 on Sunday, November 16, in Tokyo, Japan.<\/p>\n

His legacy transcends personal achievement. Young fighters from Myanmar now see professional martial arts as a legitimate path because Aung La N Sang proved it possible. The Hall of Fame recognition validates decades of sacrifice while opening doors for future generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy love for this sport. My love for becoming a better version of myself, and my faith in God,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very cool. You work so hard for this, decades of hard work, and then it comes to this moment where you\u2019re honored by the promotion and by the people. It\u2019s a dream come true. I am very grateful and very thankful for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than anything, I hope to inspire the next generation. I hope to inspire my generation to do what is right and to really work towards a brighter future. Give it your 100 percent. Live it and do it for the love of it\u2014not for the love of money, fame, or anything else. Do it because you love the art, and you\u2019ll do just fine. Persevere and keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Twenty-one years of sacrifice compressed into one final walk for Aung La N Sang. The emotions hadn\u2019t fully…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194587,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[78897,49,48,641,638,1865,59031,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-194586","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-aung-la-n-sang","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-fighting","12":"tag-mma","13":"tag-one-championship","14":"tag-one-fight-night-36","15":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}