Aung La N Sang concluded his professional mixed martial arts career with a second-round technical knockout over Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE Fight Night 36 on Friday, October 3, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, before learning he will be inducted into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame.
The 40-year-old Myanmar legend secured his 31st career victory at 2:20 of the second round, earning a $50,000 performance bonus for the finish. The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at ONE 173 in Tokyo, Japan, on November 16.
The opening frame featured cautious exchanges between two former champions who understood the knockout power standing across from them. Both fighters showed tactical respect that created measured action before the second round brought a dramatic shift in momentum.
Aung La N Sang returned to his aggressive finishing style once the second frame began, landing short punches that marked Kadestam's face and broke down his defense. The Swedish striker retreated to the ropes with limited options for escape.
The Myanmar icon unleashed combinations of punches and knees that forced Kadestam to protect himself before landing the decisive right hand that dropped his opponent near the corner. The referee intervened to stop the contest shortly after.
Aung La N Sang's journey to ONE World Champion status began far from combat sports glory. The former migratory beekeeper worked across America before dedicating himself to martial arts after earning his Agriculture Science degree from Andrews University in Michigan. His professional debut in 2005 launched a career built almost entirely on stoppage victories.
The defining moment came in June 2017 when he defeated Vitaly Bigdash for the ONE Middleweight World Championship, becoming Myanmar's first World Champion. The achievement transformed him into a national hero.
His knockout of Alexandre Machado for the ONE Light Heavyweight World Title in 2018 established him as one of the rare MMA fighters to hold belts in two divisions simultaneously. That accomplishment cemented his status as Myanmar's greatest mixed martial artist.
The Hall of Fame induction provides recognition for an athlete who transformed his country's combat sports landscape while building one of ONE Championship's most respected legacies. Aung La N Sang compiled 30 victories before his retirement bout, with 93 percent of those wins coming by stoppage.
