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A new middleweight MMA world title contender emerged at ONE 168: Denver and caught the eye of Chatri Sityodtong. The ONE Chairman and CEO sang praises for undefeated juggernaut Shamil Erdogan, who pushed his pristine record to 10-0 after mauling Aung La N Sang at Ball Arena on Sept. 6.
The Turkish dynamo had his way with the former two-division MMA world champion and finished him off in the second round with some unforgiving ground-and-pound.
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After another stellar victory, all signs point to Erdogan being next in line for middleweight MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin.
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Sityodtong certainly thinks so and believes this potential showdown could pose a ton of intrigue given the pair's history. The ONE boss said during the post-event press conference:
"For sure, I don’t think many people know Shamil. He’s Dagestani, born and raised [and part of the] Russian national wrestling team. He’s an absolute beast, and obviously undefeated in MMA, 10-0. And I believe he was a world champion in wrestling but also he defeated Anatoly in wrestling way back when they were in the national circuit in Russia. So there’s an intriguing backstory for sure."
The full replay of ONE 168: Denver is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Watch the ONE 168: Denver post-event press conference:
Shamil Erdogan calls out Anatoly Malykhin
Shortly after dismantling 'The Burmese Python' in front of a shocked American crowd, Shamil Erdogan took the opportunity to call for his shot at 26 pounds of gold.
The unbeaten Erdogan fearlessly called out arguably one of the scariest fighters in the world today - three-division MMA kingpin Anatoly Malykhin. In his in-Circle interview, he said:
"Anatoly Malykhin, right now, you're stepping into my territory, and I'm ready to defeat you in your division. Stay tuned for that."
For now, Malykhin is set to defend his heavyweight MMA crown against 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane at ONE 169: Atlanta on Nov. 8.
Tickets for ONE 169: Atlanta at the State Farm Arena are available via Ticketmaster.
