full name: Aung La Maung Nsang (အောင်လအန်ဆန်း)
fight name: The Burmese Python
residence: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
height: 6’1″
weight divisions: welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight
current promotion: ONE Championship
pro MMA record: 29-13-1 No Contest

Aung La Nsang is a Burmese-American professional mixed martial artist. He is 6’1” tall and he competes in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

Aung was born in Myitkina, Kachin, Myanmar to ethnic Kachin parents Nsang Tu Awng and Shadan Nang Bu. From Myitkina, he and his family moved to Yangon, Myanmar where he and his siblings attended Yangon International School.

In 1992, Aung started cooking. His mother had one of the neighbors go to their house and teach him and his siblings how to cook.

In 2003, Aung moved from Myanmar to the United States. He joined Crazy 88 Mixed Martial Arts in Baltimore, Maryland, USA in 2007 and Kill Cliff Fight Club in Deerfield Beach, Florida, USA in 2018.

When Aung made his professional MMA debut on March 25, 2005, he lost to Emerson Rushing via technical knockout via doctor stoppage. Aung bounced back by defeating Halton Flowers, Noel Gomez, Steve Lapear, Jason Law and Brandon Griffin in 2006.

From 2005 to 2013, Aung competed in Total Fight Challenge, Ultimate Throwdown, Heartland Ground n Pound, United Fight League, King of the Cage, Cage Fighting Championships, Michiana Fight League, Corral’s Combat Classic, Ring of Combat, Matrix Fights, Bellator Fighting Championships and Cage Fury Fighting Championships. He defeated Erik Brettin and Shawn McCully but lost to Jim Martens, Julio Paulino and James Lee in 2007 and defeated Josh Mix and Steve Evan Dau in 2008.

Based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Aung and his wife Katherine “Katie” Oliphant have a son named Aung De and a daughter named San Seng Grace N Sang, who were born in 2015 and 2020, respectively. Both Aung and Oliphant are purple belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Nicknamed The Burmese Python, Aung is currently signed with ONE Championship, which is based in Singapore. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In 2007, he graduated from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture science and moved to Columbia, Maryland, USA to live at his sister’s house and find a job. In 2008, he lived in a small trailer park in Felda, Florida and worked for Steve Eisele‘s company Eisele’s Honey and Pollination. As a migratory beekeeper, he made honey and pollinated almonds in California, USA, cranberries in Wisconsin, USA, blue berries in Michigan and orange in Florida.
2. In 2009, he defeated Chris Price. In the same year, Oliphant became his Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing student at Crazy 88 Mixed Martial Arts where he was both training and teaching. She asked him out at the time but he refused. She persisted until he finally agreed to go out with her.
3. In 2010, he lost to Costas Philippou. In 2011, he defeated Mitch Whitesel and Casey Manrique but lost to Uriah Hall and Drew Puzon. When he and Oliphant represented Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts Academy at the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) New York International Open Championship 2011 on April 16, 2011, he finished third in the heavyweight division for blue belt adults and she finished second in the featherweight division for white belt adult females. In 2012, he lost to Sam Oropeza before defeating Jesus Martinez and Jason Louck.
4. In 2013, he married Oliphant in a courthouse, defeated Shedrick Goodridge and lost to Jonavin Webb. His fight against Kyle Baker that year ended in a No Contest.
5. On June 14, 2014, he made his ONE Championship debut at “ONE: Era of Champions” in Jakarta, Indonesia where he knocked out Mahmoud Salama. On September 7, 2014, he and Oliphant had their formal wedding ceremony at the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in St. Leonard, Calvert County, Maryland.
6. On March 18, 2016, he submitted Mohamed Ali of Egypt in Yangon, which was his first professional MMA bout in his home country. He defeated Aleksei Butorin in Hefei, China on July 2, 2016 and Michal Pasternak on October 7, 2016.
7. On January 14, 2017, he failed to dethrone then reigning ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash in Jakarta. He won their rematch on June 30, 2017 in Yangon, making him Myanmar’s first ever world champion in any mainstream sport.
8. On February 23, 2018, he became the ONE Light Heavyweight World Champion by defeating Alexandre Machado in Yangon while still reigning as the ONE Middleweight World Champion. On February 24, 2018, he received 10 million kyats ($7,700) cash prize and a certificate of honor from Myanmar’s commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing and officials from the Burmese army, navy and air force called Tatmadaw. He successfully defended his middleweight title from Ken Hasegawa on June 29, 2018 and Mohammad Karaki on October 26, 2018 both in Yangaon. On November 9, 2018, World Wide Fund for Nature, Myanmar appointed him as ambassador of Fighting Wildlife Crime. He was honored by Myanmar with a bronze statue, which was officially unveiled at the Kachin National Manau Park in Myitkyina on December 16, 2018.
9. He successfully defended his ONE Middleweight World Championship belt from Hasegawa on March 31, 2019 and his ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship belt from Brandon Vera on October 13, 2019 both in Tokyo, Japan.
10. He was tested for the new coronavirus (COVID-19) on June 29, 2020 and the result came back positive on July 2, 2020. He recovered soon and competed on October 30, 2020 at “ONE: Inside the Matrix” in Kallang, Singapore where he lost the ONE Middleweight World Championship belt to Reinier de Ridder.
11. On April 28, 2021, he lost the ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship title to de Ridder at “ONE on TNT 4” in Kallang.
12. On February 25, 2022, he lost to Bigdash via unanimous decision at “ONE: Full Circle” in Kallang. On November 19, 2022, he defeated Yushin Okami via technical knockout at “ONE 163” in Kallang.
13. He was 37 years old when he defeated Gilberto Galvão via technical knockout on January 14, 2023 at “ONE Fight Night 6” in Bangkok, Thailand.