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ONE’s heavyweight MMA throne sits empty, and an undefeated Turk believes he knows exactly how to claim it. The plan, he says, starts with pulling his next opponent into deep water.
Shamil Erdogan meets Paul “King of the North” Elliott in the heavyweight MMA main event of ONE Fight Night 48 on Prime Video on Friday, October 2. The bout airs live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 36-year-old is 13-0 as a professional, and his five ONE appearances include two finishes of Aung La N Sang. He moved from middleweight up to heavyweight, stopping Ryugo Takeuchi with first-round ground-and-pound at ONE 173 in Tokyo.
Elliott presents a very different kind of danger. The Englishman enters on the back of a third-round finish of Takeuchi. He also has a six-second head kick knockout of Regan Upshaw.
Erdogan has spent long nights studying tape, and he believes the answer lies in the grappling.
“As far as I know, his wrestling isn’t that strong. And as we all know, I am very good at that, and I’ll try to neutralize his strengths to beat him. I’ll try to show everyone the beauty of this sport,” Erdogan said.
“I’m predicting that this fight will end in the second round. In the first round, I’ll drag him into deep water, and in the second round I’ll try to finish him.”
Shamil Erdogan eyes the vacant heavyweight crown
With the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title currently vacant, Erdogan sees a clear path toward the one achievement missing from his spotless career. A decisive win over a finisher of Elliott’s caliber would make his case difficult to ignore.
The Kremost Fight Club and Tiger Muay Thai standout has solved every problem placed in front of him so far. Friday is his chance to prove that pattern holds under the brightest lights yet.
“Becoming a World Champion in ONE Championship [will be] a huge accomplishment, because I think this organization is the best in the world,” Erdogan said.
“I’m focused on winning the belt, and I can’t wait for the moment when [ONE Chairman and CEO] Chatri [Sityodtong] puts the belt around my waist.”
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