Aung La N Sang is all set to take on undefeated Turkish sensation Shamil Erdogan at the upcoming ONE 168 event in Denver. An explosive middleweight showdown has caught the attention of many as two of the elite fighters clash against each other. As a former two-division World Champion, Aung La N Sang boats an impressive 15 victories across his illustrious ONE career. 

The 39-year-old is confident that he will walk past his next challenge at ONE 168: Denver. “The Burmese Python” recently sat down for a chat with the South China Morning Post and shared his expectations for his upcoming bout. He said, “Yeah I think it’s gonna be a fun one. I want to take him to deep water and make him feel it you know. I’ve been preparing very hard for this fight so we going to have a fun one.” Aung La will be looking to add to his hot streak and get back to World Title contention once again. 

Aung La N Sang looking to get past the challenge of Shamil Erdogan next 

Since making his debut in the ONE Championship, the 39-year-old has impressed one and all with his performances. In 2017, he became the first fighter from Myanmar to become an MMA World Champion when he defeated Vitaly Bigdash to earn the ONE Middleweight MMA World Championship. Later, he joined a rare company by becoming a two-weight World Champion by claiming the vacant ONE Light Heavyweight MMA World Title at the expense of Alexandre Machado.

He may have lost both belts on back-to-back occasions, but he is now on track to challenge them once again with a brilliant three-fight win streak that have all come before the third round of his matches. A win against Erdogan will help him issue a statement in the middleweight division and will push him towards the title. The 39-year-old is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation and can be seen engaging in some intense sparring sessions with Aaron Jeffrey. Jeffrey took to his Instagram to share a picture with a unique caption which read, “A few black eyes, preparing each other for battle. @aunglansang and I go to war same weekend. We’re ready.” 

Not only the veteran fighter but his opponent is also looking forward to his upcoming clash. An accomplished wrestler, Erdogan has transitioned into MMA without much difficulty. However, he will have to be at his best against ‘The Burmese Python’. While he wants to keep his winning momentum he has utmost respect for the former dual champion. 

Shamil Erdogan is desperate to keep his winning momentum going at ONE 168 

Shamil Erdogan had a brilliant promotional debut against Fan Rong at ONE Friday Fights 23 in June last year. He won the fight via knockout in the second round to keep his record pristine at 9-0. The 34-year-old is known for his world-class grappling and was also a part of the Turkish Olympic Freestyle Wrestling team. However, wrestling is not the only skill he possesses, which was evident in his clash against the Chinese fighter. Facing Aung La N Sang will definitely be one of the biggest challenges of his ONE Championship career and he seems to be prepared for it. 

Erdogan has huge respect for the former champion and in one of his interviews, he said, “Aung La N Sang is one of the best. He has a legacy. He was a two-weight champion in his time. I hope that a win over him will open the door for me to a championship belt.” The 34-year-old also made it clear that in order to win the belt he can even take on Anatoly Malykhin. However, he will first have to make sure that he goes past the challenge of ‘The Burmese Python’ who is looking to extend his winning streak to four. 

Who do you think will win the fight between the two? Let us know about it in the comments below.