A photo of MMA fighter Aung La Nsang circulating on various social media platforms has been used as an accusation of joining an attempted Myanmar coup.
Nsang, a Sanford MMA product who competes in ONE Championship, posted a photo in 2019 of him holding a gun and getting ready to go shooting with friends in Las Vegas. The image resurfaced in 2022 as some supporters of a coup force have taken it out of context, accusing Nsang of joining their efforts.
“It is a great sign that Aung La joined in the fight to destroy military dogs. Every citizen who wishes for justice, join the fight,” one Facebook user commented on a shared image of Nsang. (h/t FactCheck)
After earning the ONE light heavyweight championship over Alexandre Machado in 2018, he went on to defend the belt a few times before losing it to Reinier de Ridder in 2020. He most recently defeated Leandro Ataides last July via a first-round knockout.
Myanmar has been a troubled nation since the country’s military detained government officials in Feb. 2021. Instead of being for the coup, Nsang has been vocal in a series of social media posts and interviews against it.
Nsang has yet to publicly respond to the attempts of misinformation by various social media users and activists.
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