Undefeated Russian sensation Shamil Erdogan sounds like a man at the top of his game ahead of ONE 168: Denver. And his next fight will be a consequential one as he is taking a step up in competition and fighting a former champion.

This Friday, September 6, he will square off with former two-division ONE MMA World Champion Aung La N Sang in a high-stakes middleweight MMA contest, live in U.S. primetime at Ball Arena.

Shamil Erdogan feels his wrestling ‘on another level’ but confident he can outstrike Aung

For Erdogan, the fight against ‘The Burmese Python’ represents the biggest opportunity of his career – and the most accomplished opponent of his career, as well. But if he’s concerned about what his foe will bring to the Circle, the Russian certainly isn’t showing it.

A world-class wrestler with crushing strength and suffocating top control, he knows he has the skills to put Aung La N Sang on the canvas whenever he wants. “It’s unlikely that he will be able to defend against my attacks. I’m on a different level in wrestling, so he should prepare to dive into deep waters,” Erdogan said.

Of course, though, this is MMA and not wrestling. Still, Erdogan is confident that he’s evolved well beyond just a wrestler and is excited to display his ever-evolving striking game against one of the organization’s most prominent knockout artists.

“I will fight him both in stand-up and in wrestling. There will be no ‘just wrestling.’ I’ve been spending a lot of time on my striking technique lately, and I want to show what I’ve learned,” the Russian added, before making a big promise for the N Sang fight.

Erdogan promises a bonus-worthy knockout

Ultimately, Erdogan is confident that he’ll employ his mix of powerful wrestling and dangerous striking to take out the former two-division kingpin – and he expects to do it in spectacular, bonus-winning fashion.

If all goes according to plan, he says, he’ll be leaving Denver with an extra US$50,000 in his wallet:

“I don’t think the fight will last three rounds. Inshallah, I’ll take him down in the second round. I plan to finish the fight in the stand-up as I need the bonus. I want to ask Mr. Chatri to be ready. I’ll KO him for the bonus,” he said.

Predictably, the undefeated Russian feels if he can stop the former champion on the feet, he deserves a chance at the ONE MMA middleweight gold. “Defeating him means nothing to me. It’s just another obstacle to something bigger. I hope to get a fight for the ONE belt soon after this one,” Erdogan added. What do you think about Erdogan’s claims about his next fight?