Shamil Erdogan's formula has not changed across 14 professional fights. Wear the opponent down in the first round, then finish him in the second.
Paul Elliott became the latest to experience it in the main event of ONE Fight Night 48 on Prime Video on Friday, October 2, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The undefeated Turkish heavyweight submitted the Englishman with a rear-naked choke at 2:28 of the second round.
The result kept Erdogan's 100 percent finishing rate in ONE intact and strengthened his claim to the vacant ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title. It also earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Elliott posed a specific threat. He had won every one of his fights by stoppage, including a six-second head kick knockout of Regan Upshaw, making him one of the few heavyweights capable of ending a contest as suddenly as Erdogan.
The 36-year-old neutralized that danger by keeping the fight on the mat for the entire opening round. Elliott landed a right hand that briefly rocked him in the second, but Erdogan stayed composed and went on to secure the choke.
Erdogan said his preparation contained nothing unusual. He credited Elliott's physical strength while explaining the game plan that has become his signature.
"I can't say I was doing anything special or I had any special preparations for him. I was training pretty much the same way [as] I always do. I was working on my striking. I was working on my wrestling as well," Erdogan said.
"[But] Paul Elliott is actually very physically strong. And basically I did the same thing I'm usually doing with other people. In the first round, I'm trying to make my opponent as tired as possible, and then in the second round, I'm finishing them off."
The Kremost Fight Club representative has now competed twice at heavyweight. Both times, he made the transition look remarkably comfortable.
His next step remains open. A meeting with Ben Tynan once appeared to be on the horizon, while Erdogan has expressed admiration for retired former three-division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin.
For now, the numbers speak clearly enough. Fourteen fights, fourteen wins, and a heavyweight title picture that now runs directly through the Turkish finisher.
