
Former ONE Championship two-weight MMA champion Aung La N Sang will rematch Shamil Erdogan at ONE 171 in Qatar next month.
The matchup – first reported by Sports Illustrated – was added to the February 20 card at Lusail Sports Arena on Wednesday night.
Turkey’s Erdogan beat Myanmar legend Aung La by second-round TKO in a dominant performance at ONE 168 in Denver – but he badly missed weight by 8.75lbs for the middleweight bout.
The 34-year-old Erdogan did not even take a hydration test at the official ONE 168 weigh-ins in Denver, while Aung La failed two times and came in 5lbs over.
Following his victory, Erdogan had called for a shot at either of Anatoly Malykhin’s middleweight or light heavyweight MMA titles – the two belts formerly owned by Aung La – but it seems he will have to make it official by passing his checks on the scale.
Victory for 39-year-old Aung La could also propel him towards one last run at his former middleweight title in the twilight of his career.
A lightweight MMA bout between submission grappling champion Kade Ruotolo Nicolas Vigna was also added to ONE 171 on Wednesday.
Ruotolo will look to go 3-0 in his burgeoning MMA career against the Argentine debutant Vigna (7-0).