‘I Just Want To Take All The Belts’ – Shamil Erdogan Eyes Multi-Division Dominance After ONE Fight Night 48 Win
Another opponent, one more lesson in why the zero in Shamil Erdogan‘s loss column is going nowhere.
This time, the lesson came courtesy of Paul “King of the North” Elliott, who fell to the undefeated Turkish heavyweight in the main event of ONE Fight Night 48 on Prime Video, which aired live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, October 2.
Erdogan put on a commanding display, submitting the Englishman to improve to a perfect 14-0 and strengthen his claim on the vacant ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title.
It was no soft landing for the 36-year-old. Elliott had earned every one of his wins by stoppage, including a six-second head kick knockout of Regan Upshaw, and he arrived as the one opponent capable of ending a fight as abruptly as the Turk himself.
Erdogan, however, made sure that threat never had room to breathe. He smothered the Brit on the mat for the entire opening round, then put him away via rear-naked choke at 2:28 of the second frame.
The tap came, the hand was raised, and the zero stayed intact. When the dust settled, the Kremost Fight Club star was ready to put the night into words.
He said:
“This is an unforgettable feeling. I’m very happy that I’m here, and that I won again, just like I did 13 times before that. There is no secret. There is nothing new. I’m just doing my job.
“So basically I’m just going into the ring, I’m trying my best, I’m looking for the opening, and I’m just doing my job. His neck was all open for so long that I couldn’t just stay away from the temptation to choke him out.”
Neutralizing a man who ends fights in seconds takes patience, and Erdogan showed plenty of it – from the smothering first round to the choke that closed the show.
He stayed level even after Elliott’s right hand briefly rocked him in round two, and once the dust settled, he was quick to give his foe his well-earned flowers.
Erdogan said:
“I can’t say I was doing anything special or I had any special preparations for him. I was training pretty much the same way [as] I always do. I was working on my striking. I was working on my wrestling as well.
“[But] Paul Elliott is actually very physically strong. And basically I did the same thing I’m usually doing with other people. In the first round, I’m trying to make my opponent as tired as possible, and then in the second round, I’m finishing them off.”
A perfect 14-0 slate and a 100 percent finishing rate in the promotion was not the only thing Erdogan took home from the Thai capital.
His highlight-reel moment also earned a US$50,000 performance bonus, and once the adrenaline faded, the heavyweight destroyer turned his attention away from the global stage and toward matters far closer to home.
The 36-year-old said:
“I really want to thank Mr. Chatri [Sityodtong]. I do really feel that he does value me a lot. And then today is my daughter’s birthday, so I’m planning to buy her some nice gifts today.”
Erdogan’s Appetite Has No Weight Limit
Birthday presents may be the priority for now, but once the celebration settles, Shamil Erdogan’s attention turns back to business. It was only his second fight at heavyweight, and the Turkish giant made the move look remarkably effortless again.
With the division’s World Title still looking for a new ruler and his case already built, the Turkish powerhouse is ready to shoot for gold, and his appetite for it runs deeper than most would expect.
He said:
“I’m more comfortable at [light] heavyweight. Generally speaking, I can take all three belts. I’ve never fought at heavyweight before, it was my [second] experience, but I just want to take all the belts that I can reach.”
If it is heavyweight gold he is after, two names naturally come to mind.
A showdown with Ben “Vanilla Thunder” Tynan once appeared to be on the horizon. Then there is former three-division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin, who has since retired from the sport. Erdogan has his own thoughts on each.
The undefeated slugger said:
“I would be happy to fight [Tynan] in the future. But I would really love [to face] Anatoly Malykhin. He is a legend in this sport. And I would really love it. But if he really did retire, I just wish good luck [to] him and his family.”
