“The Burmese Python” Is BACK
Aung La N Sang FIGHTS for Myanmar! See the ONE Light Heavyweight
World Champion in action NEXT WEDNESDAY on TNT! @AungLANsang
@StephenTrumble
@tntdrama
@BleacherReport
@BR_MMA
@brlive
#WeAreONE
#ONEChampionship
#ONEonTNT4 pic.twitter.com/FTjXc2WaSe— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship)
April 23, 2021
The upcoming One Championship show has just experienced a
massive shakeup.
ESPN
first reported on Friday that Vitaly
Bigdash (10-2) has been forced out of his trilogy contest
against Aung La N
Sang (26-11, 1 NC) after testing positive for COVID-19. The two
were looking to settle the score on the headliner of
One on TNT 4 on April 28, which will be held inside the
Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. In Bigdash’s stead will be
another rival of Aung La, as Reinier
de Ridder (13-0) will get a chance to wrest Aung La’s 225-pound
throne away as well. A promotion official has since confirmed this
news to Sherdog, while also mentioning that de Ridder will have to
pass a PCR test for COVID-19 before the booking is set in
stone.
The two previously met at One Championship: Inside the Matrix in
October 2020, and de Ridder remained unbeaten while boosting his
finish rate to 92 percent by hitting an early choke on the Burmese
champ. “The Dutch Knight” introduced himself to the One audience by
putting away Fan Rong with
a brabo choke in 75 seconds, and two subsequent wins over Gilberto
Galvao and Leandro
Ataides – the latter was his first decision win – led to a
title shot for Aung La’s middleweight (205 pounds) crown. De Ridder
captured that with ease, and he will be looking to become a
two-division champ by taking both of Aung La’s belts.
Aung La had a seven-fight win streak, including six finishes,
snapped at the hands of de Ridder last year. At the time, the
two-division champ won the 205-pound strap from Bigdash, and went
up to light heavyweight – also known as cruiserweight to some at
225 pounds – to clobber Alexandre
Machado in 56 seconds to capture the vacant belt. Since then,
Aung La has shifted back and forth between divisions, defending the
belts against challengers like Ken
Hasegawa and Brandon
Vera.
One on TNT 4 is to be a live event held in Singapore on April 28,
with a new headliner pitting Aung La N
Sang against Reinier
de Ridder for the 225-pound title. Drawing the co-main
assignment will be Eddie
Alvarez on a quick turnaround at 170 pounds against Rae Yoon
Ok, as both competed on April 7 although the latter’s match was
tape-delayed. Rounding out the main card will be a heavyweight
rumble when “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane
squares off against the unbeaten Kirill
Grishenko.