"This is gonna open the doors for my future" - Shamil Erdogan on the magnitude of fighting iconic warrior Aung La N Sang

ONE middleweight MMA rising star Shamil Erdogan understands the magnitude of fighting an iconic warrior like Aung La N Sang on the global stage and what it means to his future career in ONE.

Despite having only one fight in the promotion, the Turkish athlete is one of the most dangerous wrestlers in his bracket. In knocking out MMA veteran Fan Rong at ONE Friday Fights 22, Erdogan demonstrated that he's levels above his competitors.

Therefore, winning the ticket to fight Aung La N Sang in a potential world title eliminator bout is evidently a giant leap for his career.

Speaking at the ONE 168 press conference this week, Erdogan said:

"I'm more than excited to be here. Aung La is a very strong opponent in my entire career, this is gonna open the doors for my future success so I'm more than happy to be here in America and fight against such a strong opponent."

Watch the full press conference below:

On Sept. 6, Shamil Erdogan will battle former two-division world champion 'The Burmese Python' Aung La N Sang at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster. The full event is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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"The fight will go in his favor" - ONE middleweight king Anatoly Malykhin believes Shamil Erdogan's takedown offence could fall in his favor if used at the right time

Three-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin envisions one way that Shamil Erdogan could win his bout against Aung La N Sang.

The two Russian stars have some history together stemming from their early freestyle wrestling days. So Malykhin knows first-hand how strong of a competitor Erdogan truly is.

According to 'Sladkiy', if Erdogan manages to exercise his game plan, Aung La will have a tough time getting back to his feet.

He told ONE:

"If Erdogan manages to get a takedown in the first minutes and, most importantly, hold Aung La N Sang down, then the fight will go in his favor."

There's no doubt that Erdogan will be a tough competitor since he's a well-rounded MMA fighter, and because he's got an incredible gas tank.

Blessed with athleticism, Erdogan is the only fighter besides Anatoly Malykhin who can stop Aung La N Sang from making his second rise in ONE Championship.