Shamil Erdogan makes heavyweight MMA debut against Ryugo Takeuchi

(From left) Shamil Eddogan and Ryugo Takeuchi go to war at ONE 173 in Tokyo, Japan. [Image: ONE Championship]
(From left) Shamil Erdogan and Ryugo Takeuchi go to war at ONE 173 in Tokyo, Japan. [Images courtesy: ONE Championship]

Undefeated Turkish powerhouse Shamil Erdogan will make his move up to the heavyweight MMA division of ONE Championship to take on Japanese knockout machine Ryugo Takeuchi.

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Their scheduled three-round clash will be part of the promotion's blockbuster ONE 173 spectacle inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, Nov. 16. There, Erdogan will put his pristine 12-0 record on the line in what would mark his fifth fight in the organization.

The Kremost Fight Club behemoth has had a dream start to life on the global stage, with a pair of knockouts and TKOs against elite competition at middleweight.

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In his debut, the Dagestani fighter demolished Chinese standout Fan Rong in 37 seconds of the second round. He put Fan to sleep with a picturesque liver kick.

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He returned with another masterclass in his sophomore outing, this time taking out former two-division MMA world champion 'The Burmese Python' Aung La N Sang at the midway point of Round 2 in Denver.

If fans thought they had seen the best of him already, Shamil Erdogan proved them wrong in his past two outings.

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The Russian martial artist attained two successive sub-minute wins against Aung La N Sang in their rematch (28 seconds) and another one over Brazilian veteran Gilberto Galvao (41 seconds).

He never leaves his predatory instincts behind whenever he's on duty in ONE Championship, and he'll be primed to wrap up another fight the best way he knows how at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, Nov. 16.

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Ryugo Takeuchi is looking to spoil Shamil Erdogan's streak in his Japanese homecoming

Standing in Shamil Erdogan's way of a 13th successive triumph is a young, hungry, and dangerous Japanese martial artist in Ryugo Takeuchi.

The King Gym affiliate boasts a 100 percent finishing rate, including a five-second knockout of Black Tiger that proved why opponents cannot blink when they're standing toe-to-toe with him.

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Though he was forced to taste his own medicine in his ONE Championship debut, a third-round TKO defeat to Paul Elliott, the six-foot-one athlete bounced back in style at ONE Fight Night 34 this past August.

The 22-year-old wrecking ball saw off South Korea's Kang Ji Won inside one round on his way to a US$50,000 performance bonus.

Ryugo Takeuchi vs. Shamil Erdogan's heavyweight MMA contest is one of many exciting matchups lined up for ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri.

Fight fans can purchase their tickets here, and as always, stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA and onefc.com for more breaking news surrounding the card.

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Edited by Aziel Karthak
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