ONE Championship

The winner of Friday’s heavyweight headliner could find himself next in line for a title shot. One English knockout artist believes that reality weighs far heavier on the other man.

Paul Elliott meets unbeaten Shamil Erdogan in the heavyweight MMA main event of ONE Fight Night 48 on Prime Video on Friday, October 2. The bout broadcasts live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Erdogan is 13-0 as a professional, and all five of his ONE appearances have ended in highlight-reel fashion. His fights inside the Circle have lasted just two minutes and 34 seconds on average.

The Englishman has found his rhythm after a difficult start in ONE. He has stopped his last two opponents, Ryugo Takeuchi and Regan Upshaw, and has never won a fight any other way.

“All the pressure is on him. Although I’m very aware this is a big fight – and the winner could get a title fight after – that obviously creates pressure to some extent, I feel like he has all the pressure,” Elliott said.

“He’s expected to win. He’s trying to keep his undefeated record. So, I’m going in there to cause an upset. That’s my main goal: cause that upset.”

Paul Elliott backs his power against Shamil Erdogan

Wrestling has long been Erdogan’s calling card, though he has also shown sharp kicks and punches on the feet. Elliott believes the real separation lies in the stand-up exchanges, where he trusts his power more than anything.

His six-second knockout of Upshaw ranks among the fastest finishes in ONE history. The 34-year-old is confident that same explosiveness will be the difference on Friday.

“He’s a good striker. He is. He’s got some nice kicks and nice punches. As I said, he’s super well-rounded. But I do think his wrestling is better than his striking. Is my striking better than his striking? I believe it is,” Elliott said.

“I think I carry more power. I’m definitely more explosive, and I don’t think he’s fought anyone as explosive as me. I feel like my contractile tissue, my strength, alongside my explosiveness, will help me a lot in this fight.”

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