Mike Perry speaks out after suffering injury during upset loss to Brandon Jenkins: “Health is wealthâ€
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.â€
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.â€
Movsar
Evloev rejects the notion that fans only want bloody
fights.
Evloev is scheduled to challenge Alexander
Volkanovski for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Russian
challenger has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision but believes
fans appreciate his fighting style.
Movsar Evloev argues wrestling can entertain UFC fans ahead of
Volkanovski title fight
The recent departures of Michael
Page and Farid
Basharat have fueled debate about whether winning is enough to
secure a new UFC contract. Neither fighter was re-signed despite a
winning streak, though a lack of finishes has not been established
as the reason for either departure.
Evloev believes finishes are not the only measure of a fighter's
value. He says fans also appreciate tactics, skill and
wrestling.
“I have zero finishes in UFC, but I'm still in the UFC and I'm
fighting for the title,†Evloev told MMA Fighting. “That means only
finishes are not important. To show a good fight is also important.
If you have no finish, you can still show a good fight, an exciting
fight; you can show the beauty of wrestling. There are not just
fans of MMA who just wait for blood. There are so many good fans
who know MMA, and they understand, and maybe because of them I'm
still in the UFC.â€
#UFC333’s Movsar
Evloev credits fans with his being in the UFC despite having
zero finishes: “There is not just fans of MMA who just wait for
blood. There are so many good fans who know MMA, and they
understand, and maybe because of them I'm still in the UFC.” (🎥
@JoseYoungs) https://t.co/cvpUBVusyb
Here’s your chance to get your questions in, early and often. Show will go live around 6-6:30-ish p.m. ET, depending on my fun day of travel. Fire away, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Alexander
Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his next title
defense.
Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Australian
champion believes he can deliver a career-best performance against
the undefeated Russian.
Alexander Volkanovski doubts Movsar Evloev can outgrapple him
for 25 minutes at UFC 333
Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision, but Volkanovski
doubts the challenger can outgrapple him for five rounds. “The
Great†believes Evloev would need to catch him with a decisive
strike to win.
“Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it,â€
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “I believe that the only chance that
any of these guys have is for them to catch me… If he thinks he can
beat me by decision or he thinks he can outgrapple me, I'm sure
he's gonna try, we'll see. I'm just very confident in my skills and
the fighter I still am… I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five… A
lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that the
best Volk we’ve ever seen?'â€
Volkanovski first won the title against Max
Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to
Ilia
Topuria in 2024. He reclaimed the vacant championship against
Diego
Lopes last year after Topuria moved up to lightweight, then
defended it in their rematch in January.
Alexander
Volkanovski forecasts a spectacular finish of Movsar
Evloev at #UFC333. “I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
… A lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that
the best Volk we’ve ever seen?'” (via @Farah_Hannoun)
https://t.co/YEnSuG15WK