An explosive middleweight clash between former two-division ONE World Champion Aung La N Sang and Shamil Erdogan is all set to take place at ONE 168: Denver. Set for U.S. primetime on Friday, September 6, the fans are super excited to witness the fight. The intriguing matchups feature one of the sport’s most decorated veteran fighters taking on a supremely talented rising star. 

The 39-year-old last competed at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023, where he scored his third straight stoppage victory at the expense of Chinese banger Fan Rong. He will now be returning to action to keep his winning momentum going. It seems he has found himself a new training partner in Bellator middleweight Aaron Jeffrey as revealed by a latest Instagram post. Let us take a closer look at his training session. 

Aaron Jeffrey and Aung La N Sang engage in an intense sparring session 

There are very few fighters in ONE Championship who have had longevity like ‘The Burmese Python’. With a career that spans close to two decades and includes 15 wins across his ONE tenure, Aung La has been nothing short of outstanding. As a former two-division World Champion, the 39-year-old is still hungry to add more to his medal tally. He is now all fired up for his next clash against Erdogan and is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation. 

To register his fourth consecutive victory, he is engaging in some intense training sessions with Aaron Jeffrey. Jeffrey took to his Instagram account to share a picture of him with the veteran fighter with a unique caption. The caption read, “A few black eyes, preparing each other for battle. @aunglansang and I go to war same weekend. We’re ready.”

The Bellator fighter is preparing himself for his upcoming bout with Douglas Lima on September 8. Jeffrey will look to get back to winning ways after losing his previous fight to Fabian Edwards. 

While Aung La is currently on a roll in the division, his next opponent might just prove to be tough to handle. An accomplished wrestler, Erdogan has made a seamless transition to MMA and has registered 9 professional wins, and is undefeated at the moment in the all-encompassing sport. Let us take a closer look at his career so far. 

Shamil Erdogan is all set to make a name for himself at ONE Championship 

From the mountains of Dagestan comes yet another fighter who has all the tools to make a name for himself in MMA. The 34-year-old is a former member of the Turkish Olympic Freestyle Wrestling team and is known for his world-class grappling. Not only does he have wrestling skills, but is also a technical striker, which makes it tough for his opponents to line him up.

He announced his arrival at ONE Championship when he made his debut last June at ONE Friday Fights 22. The Dagestani fighter took on Fan Rong in a highly anticipated middleweight clash. His sublime striking proved too much to handle for the Chinese fighter. Erdogan finished him in the second round via knockout to register his first ONE Championship victory. However, his next opponent is not only on a winning run but also a former two-weight World Champion in the promotion.

Going past Aung La will make Erdogan one of the forces to be reckoned with in the division. The Kremost Fight Club representative has huge respect for his opponent and 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 Dagestani fighter also has high hopes of facing Anatoly Malykhin for the title, but first, he needs to get past ‘The Burmese Python’. Who do you think will win the fight at ONE 168: Denver? Let us know your pick in the comments below.