Shamil Erdogan is enjoying a stellar career in combat sports, and he credits his father’s diligence for guiding him in the early days. The undefeated Russian grappler is set to take on former two-division World Champion Aung La N Sang in a middleweight MMA bout inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, at ONE 168: Denver on Friday, September 6.

Though deep in preparation for his appearance at ONE Championship’s highly anticipated second show in the United States, Shamil Erdogan recently took time out to talk to the promotion about how his dad helped him start his martial arts journey.

Shamil Erdogan reminisces how his father helped him

“When I was 12 years old, my father brought me to the wrestling club for the first time. But it wasn’t like he just handed me over to the coaches and left me to do my own thing,” he said. “He made me get up every morning to do my practice, never missed a training session, and found time to travel with me to competitions. I’m sure if it weren’t for his supervision, I wouldn’t have become what I am now.” 

It’s easy for children and teenagers to become distracted by other things around them, but Shamil Erdogan’s father recognized his talent early, so he made sure his son focused on the lessons he was learning in the gym. Despite his perfect 9-0 professional slate, the Kremost Fight Club athlete admits that he was no prodigy when he first stepped on the mats. As such, it took a lot of hard work, patience, and invaluable advice to get to where he is today. 

“In Dagestan, wrestling is a very popular sport, so at the beginning, I was not very good. I remember that in my youth, I lost one tournament after another, and with my weak mind, I was thinking that I was engaged in a senseless activity,” Erdogan said. 

“But my father told me that the most important thing was consistency, and the results would come. He was right.” 

Aung La N Sang won’t be an easy opponent

After thrilling the global fanbase with his ruthless knockout of Fan Rong at ONE Friday Fights 22 last June, Erdogan will explode back onto the scene next month.

Aung La N Sang will represent the biggest challenge of his career so far, but fans should be prepared for the 34-year-old to come out of the blocks blazing as he looks to secure a win against the former two-division ONE World Champion. 

If Erdogan manages to leave Colorado with his win streak moved to 10, there will undeniably be a new contender for the ONE Middleweight MMA World Title.

What are your predictions for the fight between Shamil Erdogan and Aung La N Sang? Drop in the comments below.