As Shamil Erdogan gears up for his return later this month, ONE Championship is building anticipation for his next appearance inside the Circle.
The team opromotion recently revisited Erdogan’s electrifying debut, where he made an emphatic statement in the middleweight MMA division with a dominant performance against Fan Rong at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023.
Relive the highlights of that showdown below:
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The undefeated Turkish sensation wasted no time asserting his dominance against “King Kong Warrior,” landing an early takedown and unleashing relentless ground-and-pound for several minutes.
In the second round, Erdogan displayed his striking prowess, rocking the Chinese veteran with a crisp left hand before delivering a solid front kick to the liver. The shot left Fan crumpled in pain, sealing the victory at the 0:37 mark.
That highlight-reel knockout extended Erdogan’s flawless record to 9-0 at the time, cementing his status as a competitor to watch out for in the weight class.
Now, Erdogan is set to face a familiar foe in his upcoming assignment.
Shamil Erdogan locks horns with Aung La N Sang again at ONE 171
Shamil Erdogan will run it back against former two-division ONE world champion Aung La N Sang in a middleweight MMA rematch at ONE 171, set for Feb. 20 at the stunning Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.
The two first met in September 2024 when Erdogan handed Aung La N Sang a crushing second-round stoppage loss.
At ONE 171, Aung La N Sang is out for redemption, determined to settle the score, as their initial encounter was contested at a catchweight of 213.75 pounds after Erdogan missed weight.
However, Erdogan has his own agenda — silence any remaining doubts, reaffirm his dominance, and stake his claim as the next challenger for a shot at Anatoly Malykhin’s ONE middleweight MMA world championship.