“I wish him all the best in his career” - Shamil Erdogan praises Aung La N Sang for being a good opponent
Turkish fighter Shamil Erdogan rolled to his second straight victory in ONE Championship last week in the United States. He stayed classy in triumph, even having nice words to say to his fallen opponent.
The 34-year-old Kremost Fight Club affiliate defeated former double ONE world champion Aung La N Sang in their catchweight (213.75 lbs) MMA showdown at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, on Sept. 6, winning by TKO in the second round.
During the in-Circle following his victory over 'The Burmese Python,' Shamil Erdogan reiterated his respect for Aung La just as he expressed his excitement in coming up with a victory.
He said:
"I feel great and overwhelmed. For sure, Aung La is avery strong opponent. I'm just glad to participate with him. I wish him all the best in his career, and I just want to say big thank you to my fans, to my brother, to Allah for supporting me, for giving me everything that I have right now to win this great fight."
Shamil Erdogan set the pace early against Aung La at ONE 168, rattling the latter with a left hand and immediately shooting for a takedown. The former middleweight and light heavyweight MMA managed to get back on his feet, only to be taken down again and surrender his back in the process. He received further damage from knees and elbows as the opening round wore on.
In the second round, the punishment continued for Aung La, with Erdogan maintaining his onslaught. The Turkish fighter took the contest again to the ground, leaving his opponent to the mercy of his ferocious ground and pound.
From there, Aung La, simply had no chance of fighting back, forcing referee Herb Dean to call a stop to the fight at the 2:48 mark of the round in favor of Erdogan.
The defeat saw Aung La's three-fight winning streak come to an end as well as dent his bid for another shot at the middleweight world title.
The replay of ONE 168: Denver can be viewed on ONE Championship's YouTube page.
Shamil Erdogan calls out Anatoly Malykhin after ONE 168 win
Following his dominant victory at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6, Shamil Erdogan signified his intention to challenge three-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin for his middleweight MMA world title next.
The Turkish fighter highlighted that his manhandling of former champion Aung La N Sang in the United States last week was enough reason for him to earn a title shot against fellow undefeated fighter Malykhin.
Erdogan said in the post-fight interview inside the Circle:
"Anatoly Malykhin right now you step into my territory and I'm ready to defeat you in your division. Stay tuned for that thank you."
Malykhin has dominated the higher weight classes in ONE Championship since making his promotional debut in March 2021. He has been undefeated in six matches to date while claiming the middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight world titles along the way.