Paul Elliott was one victory away from the biggest moment of his career, but Shamil Erdogan ensured it never arrived at ONE Fight Night 48. Undefeated Turkish fighter Shamil Erdogan submitted the Brit in the headliner at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium in the early hours of Saturday morning, extending his perfect record to 14-0 and bringing Elliott's title ambitions to an abrupt halt. For Middlesbrough-born heavyweight Elliott, the bout represented a golden opportunity to secure a shot at the vacant ONE Heavyweight MMA World Championship and claim the biggest victory of his career against the toughest opponent he had faced to date.
Erdogan, a former member of the Russian and Turkish national wrestling teams, entered the main event with a flawless MMA record, with his previous eight victories all coming by way of stoppage. Erdogan took the Englishman down early, sapping his energy as he spent much of the first round grinding him down against the canvas. Elliott refused to fold, showcasing excellent wrestling defence, repeatedly working his way back to his feet before Erdogan dragged him back down to the mat.
The 34-year-old English powerhouse survived the opening stanza, and the second round began on the feet, where he could unleash the fight-ending strikes that had helped him build an 8-2 (1 NC) record with a 100 per cent finishing rate. Early in the second, Elliott whipped a couple of low kicks at his opponent, cracked Erdogan with a right hand, and even launched a spinning back kick. It missed the Turk's head but connected cleanly with his shoulder.
Erdogan knew, however, that standing and trading with Elliott was a risky proposition. Instead, he returned to his strengths on the canvas - and that proved to be the perfect game plan. The Turk backed Elliott into a corner, landed a body shot and secured another takedown.
He eventually worked his way into full mount, dropped short elbows, transitioned to side control and unleashed a barrage of knees to the head. Elliott did his best to defend, but ultimately surrendered his back in search of an escape hatch. Erdogan remained glued to him, unloading a mix of strikes to the head, body and thighs.
Just as the Brit tried to work his way back to his feet, he exposed his neck. Erdogan immediately seized the opportunity, sinking in a rear-naked choke to force the tap at 2:28 of the second round. Erdogan ensured the biggest moment of Elliott's career would not arrive on this night.
But for a brief spell in the second round, the Brit's power forced the unbeaten Turk to rethink his approach - and that alone suggests Elliott's title ambitions remain very much alive.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing