Paul Elliott Is the “King of the North” ONE Championship’s Next Heavyweight to Watch?

Heavyweight MMA has always been associated with fight-ending power, but Elliott’s record demonstrates a particularly ruthless level of efficiency.

Eight professional victories. Eight finishes. No judges required.

Before his latest appearance, ONE Championship noted that Elliott had earned seven knockout victories, with six of them coming in the opening round. His six-second demolition of Upshaw added another first-round finish to that record and showed that his power can end a contest before an opponent has even had time to settle.

However, Elliott’s recent success has demonstrated more than explosive power. His previous ONE Championship performance proved that he can remain dangerous deep into a heavyweight fight.

At ONE Fight Night 30 in April 2025, Elliott faced undefeated Japanese prospect Ryugo Takeuchi.

Takeuchi entered his promotional debut with a perfect professional record and a 100 percent finishing rate, having stopped all four of his previous opponents. He was young, dangerous and arriving in ONE Championship with significant expectations.

Elliott refused to be overwhelmed by the hype.

The British heavyweight produced a patient and controlled performance, gradually breaking his opponent down before securing the TKO at one minute of the third round. It was Elliott’s first official ONE Championship victory and an important demonstration of his development.

Against Takeuchi, Elliott showed that he is not dependent on finding one huge punch in the opening seconds. He maintained his pressure, managed the pace of the contest and carried his finishing threat into the final round.

That victory has also aged well. Takeuchi subsequently returned with an emphatic first-round knockout of Kang Ji Won, underlining the quality of Elliott’s performance against him.

Before returning to ONE Championship, Elliott rebuilt his momentum with two domestic victories.

In September 2024, he headlined British Fighting Championship 6 against Robb Peters. Elliott immediately imposed his physicality, took control of the contest and finished Peters with ground-and-pound after only 51 seconds of the opening round.

That followed a first-round TKO victory over Ryan Franklin in April 2024. Combined with his wins over Takeuchi and Upshaw, Elliott is now riding a four-fight winning streak, with every victory coming by stoppage.

The run represents an impressive turnaround following a difficult beginning to his ONE Championship career.

Elliott lost his promotional debut against Kang Ji Won, had a subsequent fight against Martin Batur overturned to a no contest and then suffered a doctor-stoppage defeat against Mauro Cerilli. Instead of allowing those setbacks to define him, he returned to the regional scene, rebuilt his confidence and earned his way back onto the global stage.

He has now won twice consecutively inside ONE Championship—and his latest performance was one of the fastest finishes the organisation has ever witnessed.

Elliott’s knockout statistics will naturally attract the most attention, but his recent performances suggest that he is becoming a more complete and composed competitor.

The Takeuchi fight demonstrated patience, conditioning and the ability to gradually dismantle a dangerous opponent. The Upshaw knockout showed timing, speed and technical variety, with Elliott using a head kick rather than relying solely on his hands.

At 6 feet 1 inch with a reported 76.4-inch reach, Elliott is not the tallest heavyweight in the division. His success therefore depends on closing distance intelligently, applying pressure and creating opportunities for his power.

His physical strength, aggression and confidence make him dangerous, but his increasing experience could be the factor that allows him to compete with ONE Championship’s established heavyweight names.

The answer is increasingly difficult to ignore: yes.

Elliott is now 8–2, has finished every opponent he has defeated and holds two consecutive victories in ONE Championship. He has stopped an undefeated prospect over three rounds and followed it by tying the fastest knockout record in the promotion’s history.

That combination of experience, resilience and genuine fight-ending power makes him one of Britain’s most intriguing heavyweights.

However, ONE Championship’s heavyweight division contains elite competition, and the world title is currently held by Anatoly Malykhin following his knockout victory over Oumar Kane in May 2026. Elliott will likely need to defeat another established divisional contender before entering the immediate championship conversation.

A matchup against a ranked or recognised heavyweight would provide the perfect opportunity to discover exactly how close he is to the division’s leading names.

Elliott himself has previously taken a measured approach to his ambitions. Following the Takeuchi victory, he described the result as a building block rather than immediately demanding a title opportunity. That patience may now be paying off. His next appearance should carry considerably more attention—and potentially much greater stakes.