Aung La N Sang is laser-focused on the next challenge when ONE returns to America at the Ball Arena in Denver. The former two-division MMA World Champion had declared that he had no intention of looking at any other fighter except Shamil Erdogan for now. So far, Aung La has remained strong in front of hurdles and continues to make himself better.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, ‘The Burmese Python’ spoke about Erdogan. He said, “He’s probably one of the better fighters that I fought you know; if not the best fighter that I have fought. So, it’s gonna be good, but he’s not the first undefeated Russian I fought. He is not gonna be the last one I fight. He’s gonna be good. He has a very good wrestling pedigree and his striking is pretty good he has good fight IQ in terms of striking as well. So, I am looking forward to a banger.”

The 39-year-old is training hard and cannot look past Erdogan right now and he claimed that he had no plans for the future fight prospects at the moment. On this note, let’s see the training that the veteran fighters are going through.

Aung La N Sang’s journey so far

‘The Burmese Python’ is training hard with Aaron Jeffery and even uploaded snippets on Instagram. Jeffery captioned the post saying, “A few black eyes, preparing each other for battle. @aunglansang and I go to war the same weekend. We’re ready.” Aung La was born in Myanmar and then moved to the US as a teenager and is keeping himself sharp by training at Kill Cliff FC along with a host of other middleweights and light heavyweight fighters.

He turned professional in 2005, making his mark in the local MMA scene in the United States before finding a home in ONE Championship in 2014. It was here that he reached the pinnacle of the sport, becoming a two-division World Champion when he defeated Alexandre Machado for the vacant ONE Light Heavyweight MMA World Title at ONE: QUEST FOR GOLD in February 2018.

While he lost both of his belts by 2021, he has come back roaring by winning four of his next five contests, including three straight finishes in his last outings. Beating Erdogan would cement his place as a legitimate contender for the divisional crown.

Shamil Erdogan aiming for a KO

The undefeated Turkish fighter is in hopes to showcase his amazing striking prowess and score a KO when he fights the former two-division champ in Denver on September 6. Erdogan is a decorated freestyle wrestler and has an amazing 9-0 MMA record.

His opponent is also the former ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World champion. The Turkish athlete is confident that he might have a significant wrestling and takedown advantage over his opponent. He spoke to ONE Championship and said, “It’s unlikely that he will be able to defend against my attacks. I’m on a different level in wrestling, so he should prepare to dive into deep waters.”

He also aims to show his stand-up fighting prowess as well. If he can defeat the dangerous striker in this method, the 34-year-old will prove that his stand-up game is as dangerous as his grappling.

ONE 168 is going to be an epic battle among some of the most amazing fighters in the promotion. Are you ready for the event? Let us know in the comments below.