‘I Can Knock Him Out’ – Paul Elliott Out To Prove Shamil Erdogan Is Only Human At ONE Fight Night 48
Paul “King of the North” Elliott steps back onto the global stage of ONE Championship in search of a third consecutive triumph, fully convinced he will get the job done in trademark fashion.
The heavy-handed British tank collides with unbeaten Turkish powerhouse Shamil Erdogan in a high-stakes heavyweight MMA clash. The colossal matchup headlines ONE Fight Night 48 on Prime Video, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime on Friday, October 2, from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
After a tough start to his promotional tenure, Elliott has surged back with back-to-back knockouts over Ryugo Takeuchi and Regan Upshaw, keeping his 100 percent finish rate fully intact. The latter victory came in a staggering six seconds, cementing it as one of the fastest finishes in ONE Championship history.
The English colossus fully believes he can extend that destructive streak in Bangkok, completely unfazed by the monumental danger standing across from him.
He explained to onefc.com:
“He’s human. He bleeds. So, there’s definitely potential for me to beat him. Can I knock him out? If I land, I know I can knock him out. That’s definitely in my favor. I know I can knock him out.
“Still, I think, it’s a tough one because he’s definitely the best I’ve fought. But I think it’s going to be a round one or two [knockout]. I’ll finish him.”
Elliott is not blind to the sheer magnitude of the task ahead, however.
He knows full well that this main event clash will demand a titanic effort from start to finish, especially against a man whose armor no opponent has ever managed to pierce.
The 34-year-old said:
“He’s very skillful, super skillful, and he’s very well-rounded. He likes to go heavy on the wrestling. I’ve noticed that he fatigues his opponent and then goes heavy on the striking again. He does that in most of his fights.
“Whether or not he’s going to do that with me, I don’t know. But I’m going to prepare for every aspect. I’m not specifically drilling this or drilling only that. I’m trying to become better in every aspect of MMA, just like I always do when I train.”
Erdogan, after all, carries a flawless 13-0 professional record built entirely on sheer dominance, brute strength, and very little mercy.
All five of his outings in ONE have ended in highlight-reel fashion. With a terrifying average fight length of just two minutes and 34 seconds, the Turkish titan makes incredibly quick work of anyone unfortunate enough to share the Circle with him.
That fearsome reputation has cast Elliott in a familiar underdog role heading into ONE Fight Night 48 — a position he is more than happy to embrace.
“King of the North” said:
“Am I aware that I’m an underdog? Yes, I am. But it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It doesn’t change my attitude to the fight. I go in there to give it everything I’ve got.
“Every single fight I have is motivational because if you don’t put yourself in good condition, you’re going to get your a** kicked in there. That’s without any disrespect to my opponent. He’s very good.”
Elliott Believes All The Pressure Sits With Erdogan
Paul Elliott has already sized up exactly what this underdog tag means for him heading into the biggest fight of his career. If anything, he is supremely confident it works entirely in his favor in a heavyweight collision attached to genuine World Title implications.
Rather than feeling the massive weight of the moment himself, the Englishman has flipped the script entirely, insisting the real burden belongs strictly to the man expected to keep his perfect record intact.
He explained:
“All the pressure is on him. Although I’m very aware this is a big fight – and the winner could get a title fight after – that obviously creates pressure to some extent, I feel like he has all the pressure.
“He’s expected to win. He’s trying to keep his undefeated record. So, I’m going in there to cause an upset. That’s my main goal: cause that upset.”
With his fearless mindset firmly in place, Elliott turned his attention to the technical aspects of the matchup.
Elite wrestling has always been considered Shamil Erdogan’s primary calling card, but the heavy-handed Brit sees the true separation lying elsewhere entirely.
Elliott added:
“He’s a good striker. He is. He’s got some nice kicks and nice punches. As I said, he’s super well-rounded. But I do think his wrestling is better than his striking. Is my striking better than his striking? I believe it is.
“I think I carry more power. I’m definitely more explosive, and I don’t think he’s fought anyone as explosive as me. I feel like my contractile tissue, my strength, alongside my explosiveness, will help me a lot in this fight.”
