Alain Ngalani hunting another huge KO against Aung La N Sang

Heavyweight knockout artist Alain ‘The Panther’ Ngalani has vowed to deliver the goods when he takes on ONE Middleweight World Champion Aung La N Sang at ONE: HERO’S DREAM on 3 November in Yangon, Myanmar.

The hulking heavyweight, who has won multiple world world titles in Muay Thai and kickboxing, has a well-earned reputation as one of the most spectacular and powerful strikers on the ONE Championship roster.

On 3 November, he steps into the ONE Championship cage to face a unique challenge, as he takes on the prodigiously skilled Aung La N Sang in a special Open Weight Super Bout.

It kicks off a thrilling run of events as ONE Championship hosts three huge shows in November as the organisation looks to round off 2017 in style.

It promises to be a spectacular bout, but these are just the norm for 42-year-old Cameroonian Ngalani, who has made a name for himself as a crowd-pleasing star in Asia.

The Hong Kong-based heavyweight spoke ahead of the bout and explained: “I am an entertainer. I like to please the crowd and give them what they want.

“I am always looking to make a match special and memorable, so most of my matches will always be memorable. I know the eyes of the crowd are watching me. I know they want to see something different, and I am always ready to give them something different. So if I see an opportunity [to finish the fight], I will definitely grab it.”

That opportunity came early in his last encounter against former heavyweight world title challenger Hideki ‘Shrek’ Sekine at ONE: TOTAL VICTORY, when the Japanese jiu jitsu ace looked to close the distance right from the first bell.

Ngalani showed quick feet and fast hands as he backpedalled to create space, then knocked out his advancing opponent with a single punch to win the fight in just 11 seconds.

“I knew that Sekine was a champion and very good in Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” Ngalani explained. “I knew that he was going to come out and look to take me down, because by taking me down, he would stop me from striking.

“I am good at striking; that is my thing, and the only way he can stop my striking is to close the distance and take me down. So by trying to close the distance, you are also going to open yourself up for mistakes. It is a risk to take, he took the risk, and he got knocked out.”

After facing a huge submission grappler in his last contest, Ngalani is now preparing for an altogether different test in Yangon.

Aung La N Sang captured the ONE Middleweight World Title this summer at ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION, when he handed Russian world champion Vitaly Bigdash the first defeat of his career. Now, the 31-fight veteran is stepping up to showcase his martial arts skills against Ngalani’s powerful striking.

Ngalani declared himself a fan of his next opponent, and paid tribute to the Myanmar native’s contribution to his country after becoming the nation’s first sporting world champion.

“As a martial artist, I think Aung La N Sang is good,” said Ngalani. “He has been in the business for a while, and he has a very good background. Even before he won the title at middleweight, I was observing him, and I like him. For what he was doing for his country, I thought it was awesome.

“He is the middleweight world champion, and I praise him for that, and I am very proud of him for winning the title. That is good. But now, he is competing against me. That is a different game.”

With Ngalani being the heavier, more powerful athlete, he accepts he holds the physical advantages heading into the contest, and says he’s determined not to take his opponent lightly, despite the weight discrepancy between the pair.

“This is purely a super bout, and obviously, being the bigger guy, I do not want to lose against someone who is lighter than me at all,” he said. “I have a lot of things to prove, but I am excited to collide with him. He is the middleweight world champion, and I give him a lot of respect for that.”

With Aung La N Sang fighting on home soil in front of a huge passionate crowd at Yangon’s Thuwunna Indoor Stadium, Ngalani knows he’s going to be playing the part of the spoiler. But he vowed to deliver a spectacular fight that the fans watching around the world will enjoy.

“It is going to be awesome. I think the fans are going to love it, and they will not want to miss it,” he declared.

“They know I am explosive. I am not a boring martial artist. I am not going over there to look at my nails; I am going over there to look to finish it, and my opponent is surely going to give me a good match. I am looking forward to that.”