ONE Championship 56: Light of a Nation results
The local hero captured Myanmar sport’s first-ever world championship, making history.
ONE Championship 56: Light of a Nation was held on June 30, 2017 at the Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.
With a full training camp behind him, and the roar of a raucous hometown crowd cheering on his every move, the Aung La N Sang Burmese Python finally accomplished what he set out to do, defeating Vitaly Bigdash to become the new ONE Middleweight World Champion.
I cannot do this without God. I cannot do this without my teammates. I cannot do this without you, Myanmar, said Aung La N Sang. I’m not talented. I’m not good. I’m not fast. But with you, I have courage, I have strength, and now I’ve won the world title!
Bigdash, visiting hostile territory to defend a title he has held since a come-from-behind victory over Igor Svirid in 2015, fell to the wayside on all three judges’ scorecards. Aung La N Sang bagged a five-round unanimous decision to take home the belt.
With tears streaming from his eyes, Aung La N Sang stood at the center of the ONE Championship cage, basking in the adulation poured upon him from a partisan Yangon crowd chanting his name.
Myanmar, how does it sound to have a world champion? shouted the newly-minted middleweight titleholder.
The blistering first round saw Aung La N Sang stagger Bigdash with a fierce combination that had the champion reeling. The Myanmar hero, sensing his foe was hurt and ripe for the taking, immediately followed up with a relentless ground assault.
Bigdash, however, is known for his incredible toughness and durability, and found a way to survive the onslaught and make it to the second round. From that point, Bigdash knew he had to slow Aung La N Sang’s furious pace, who seemed to have much more in the tank as compared to their first encounter.
For the remainder of the contest, it was a constant battle of attrition, as both Bigdash and Aung La N Sang tried to impose their will and game plan on the other. In the last two frames, and when it mattered most, Aung La N Sang brought the pressure to Bigdash, scoring on multiple combinations and clean, hard shots.
Although Bigdash enjoyed success with his wrestling and takedowns, the lack of offensive output wasn’t enough to offset Aung La N Sang’s dominance on the feet. The local hero captured Myanmar sport’s first-ever world championship, making history.
It had been a long time coming for the 12-year veteran. After taking his talents across the continental United States in various promotions, Aung La N Sang finally reached the apex of his career as a martial artist, punctuating his hard work with the ONE Middleweight World Championship.
With the win, Aung La N Sang improves his record to 20-10, 1 No Contest, while Bigdash (9-1) loses the belt and his undefeated record. Given the amazing performance from both incredible warriors, it would not be a stretch of the imagination to see these two warriors do it all over again, with a third and final bout to settle the score.
Event results:
Aung La N Sang beat Vitaly Bigdash via unanimous decision for the middleweight title
Saw Min Min beat Shwe Kyaung Tahr via submission (Guillotine) in Round 1 at 1:43 • Flyweight tournament final
Mei Yamaguchi beat Jenny Huang via submission (rear naked choke) in Round 2 at 4:00
Bruno Pucci beat Jimmy Yabo via TKO (strikes) in Round 1 at 2:12
Tha Pyay Nyo beat Htet Aung Oo via knockout (strike) in Round 1 at 0:16
Kevin Chung beat Zhong Qingya via TKO (knees) in Round 2 at 3:37
Ye Thway Ne beat Pat Kyaw Lin Naing via unanimous decision • Flyweight tournament semifinal
Saw Min Min beat Kyar Ba Hein via knockout in Round 1 • Flyweight tournament semifinal
Shwe Kyaung Thar beat Ye Yint Thway • Flyweight tournament reserve bout
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Mei Yamaguchi def. Jenny Huang via submission (RNC) in R2 #ONEFightNightpic.twitter.com/pDxMCPiCXI
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 30, 2017
” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Caposa.
