Aung La Nsang

Aung La Maung Nsang[5] (Burmese: အောင်လအန်ဆန်း; born on May 21, 1985) is an American-Burmese mixed martial artist of Kachin descent.

He made his MMA debut in 2005 and would go on to become a major star in his native Myanmar after signing with ONE Championship and winning two titles with the organization.

[10][11][12] Aung La Nsang is one of the few Myanmar citizens with an international profile, given the country only began opening up to the outside world over the last decade.

He was the subject of unprecedented national attention in the lead-up to the fight with Russia's then-middleweight champion Vitaly Bigdash, with billboards across Yangon featuring massive portraits of the two fighters.

[19][20] Aung La made his professional debut in 2005, and soon built a reputation for his outstanding submission skills, earning himself the nickname of The Burmese Python.

After signing with ONE in 2014, Aung La Nsang returned to his home country of Myanmar two years later at ONE Championship: Union of Warriors, winning his bout to become a national hero.

[30] On October 26, 2018, he beat Mohammad Karaki by TKO via punches at ONE Championship: Pursuit of Greatness in Yangon to retain the ONE Middleweight title.

[34] Aung La defeated Vera by technical knockout in the second round and successfully defended the ONE Light Heavyweight title.

[35] Aung La Nsang was next expected to defend his ONE Middleweight World Championship against Reinier de Ridder, event and date to be determined.

[38][39] On October 30, 2020, Aung La lost to de Ridder by submission in the first round,[40] ending his reign as ONE Middleweight World Champion.

[41] Aung La was expected to defend the ONE Light Heavyweight Championship against Vitaly Bigdash in a trilogy bout at ONE on TNT 4 on April 28, 2021.

[51] He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round and during the post-fight interview he pay tribute to his teammate Anthony "Rumble" Johnson who passed away this week.

[62] In July 2018, Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing issued an official statement of congratulations, claiming the ethnic Kachin fighter embodies the indomitable spirit of Myanmar, the pride of the nation.

Aung La was invited to the Ministry of Defence and presented with a cash award as a token of appreciation and recognition by representatives of all three branches of the Myanmar armed forces.

[64] Since becoming a superstar in his native land via his ONE Championship success, Aung La has committed himself to several charity projects, using his reach and fame to try and help the people of Myanmar.

On 9 November 2018, Aung La was appointed as ambassador of Fighting Wildlife Crime by World Wide Fund for Nature, Myanmar.