‘He Is Easy Money’ – Anatoly Malykhin Sees No Threat From Amir Aliakbari In Potential Rematch For World Title

Two-division king Anatoly Malykhin still doesn’t view Amir Aliakbari as a serious threat to his ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title.

Despite Aliakbari adding to his winning streak with a victory over Dustin Joynson at ONE Fight Night 12 on Prime Video last Friday, “Sladkiy” is not impressed by his former foe.

The Iranian star called for a World Title shot after stopping Joynson via TKO at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

However, the reigning heavyweight king thinks Aliakbari is getting ahead of himself if he believes the result would be any different in a rematch.

Malykhin said:

“Aliakbari has started believing his own hype. Who has he beaten in his last three fights since [I knocked him out]? He beat Brandon Vera, a man who was 45 years old, who, with all due respect, was already on the decline and who came off a loss. He beat the Italian fighter, [Mauro] Cerilli, who had a loss before Aliakbari and who [was 39] years old.

“Then, he beat this guy [Dustin Joynson], whose wrestling is… Well, he hasn’t even read a book about wrestling. These are all convenient opponents, all three opponents after losses. And it gave him enough faith in himself to challenge the champion to a fight.”

To the outside world, three consecutive victories over established opponents look decisive and mark the in-form Aliakbari as a serious World Title contender.

But with a knockout win over his rival already, Malykhin expects any second meeting to go the same way. He’s followed the man from Tehran carefully and doesn’t see any chance of a turnaround in fortunes should they clash again for the gold.

“Sladkiy” explained:

“Watching his last fight, I see he moves like he’s underwater. He’s very slow, just dragging the fight.

“If this guy thinks that he will be able to take me down and finish me from the crucifix like he did with the others, then he is very delusional. After two or three of my punches, he’ll just go to sleep.”

Anatoly Malykhin Ready For Another ‘Beautiful Knockout’

While Anatoly Malykhin doesn’t see Amir Aliakbari as much of a threat, he’d still welcome a potential matchup with the AAA Team representative. Not for the competition, but because he thinks it would be a quick payday.

“Sladkiy” stepped into the ring to accept the Iranian’s challenge last Friday, and when the pair briefly came to grips with one another, he saw something that gave him even more confidence.

The Russian said:

“For me, he is easy money.

“I saw it in his eyes that he doesn’t understand what he is doing. He doesn’t understand what is waiting for him.”

Still, Aliakbari’s resume tells its own story.

Boasting a 13-3 MMA record with 10 finishes and a strong wrestling background, the 6-foot-4 behemoth has bounced back impressively from the toughest spell of his career.

With superstar status in his native Iran, he has called for a World Title challenge when ONE debuts in the Middle East. That’s something Malykhin could get behind – and he fully expects to win over a pro-Aliakbari crowd with his performance.

“Sladkiy” added:

“I would love to fight in Qatar! I could put on a beautiful fight. I always go out of my way to please the audience, to put on a show.

“I would be remembered by the local audience 100 percent with my beautiful knockout.”