‘He’s Not A Real Champion’ – Anatoly Malykhin Takes Aim At Arjan Bhullar Again
ONE Interim Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin is very eager to battle reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion Arjan “Singh” Bhullar in a title unification bout.
The two stars have been on a collision course for some time, and while their colossal heavyweight showdown has yet to be made official, they’ve not been shy in their war of words.
Malykhin has been the most vocal and feels that Bhullar has been actively avoiding a fight with him. Now, that trash talk is continuing – even after “Singh” signed a new contract, called “Sladkiy” a coward, and expressed his own desire to unify the belts.
The Russian star told ONE Championship:
“[Bhullar] is my little baby chicken who is clinging on to the belt that should be mine. He’s not a real champion. He keeps hiding from strong opponents, tries to choose convenient opponents.
“I am a Russian Freestyle Wrestling Champion, so he won’t be able to surprise me. His striking is very weak, it looks like he is trying to swat a mosquito. People will forget him after I am finished with him.”
Malykhin quickly rose to prominence last year after signing with ONE Championship.
The undefeated 34-year-old has dominated all three of his matchups in the Circle, finishing Alexandre Machado, Amir Aliakbari, and then Kirill Grishenko to capture the interim heavyweight belt.
Bhullar, meanwhile, has competed twice since joining the world’s largest martial arts organization.
He scored a unanimous decision victory over Mauro Cerilli and then knocked out longtime heavyweight king Brandon “The Truth” Vera to claim the World Title.
For his part, Malykhin was unimpressed with “Singh’s” performance against Vera and believes the Filipino-American veteran was on his last legs when he finally relinquished the gold.
“Sladkiy” said:
“No disrespect to the legend. [Vera] was a great champ and [held] that belt for a while, but I think he was already very tired and mentally done.”
Moving forward, Malykhin can’t wait to settle the score with Bhullar.
He plans to silence the Canadian-Indian for good and leave no doubt that he’s the undisputed heavyweight king.
The Russian added:
“People like that have a habit of projecting their own problems on others. We will see who is who during the fight. I am faster, stronger, have better punches, and my stamina is great. If he is brave enough to sign the contract, he will, and then you’ll see how he falls on the canvas.”
Anatoly Malykhin Doesn’t See Any Legitimate Threats At Heavyweight
ONE Championship has taken significant steps to bolster its heavyweight MMA division over the past year.
Among others, the organization has signed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legends Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida and Andre “Deco” Galvao, along with former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler Odie “The Witness” Delaney.
But even with all of that talent – and with “Buchecha” and Delaney both undefeated in MMA so far – ONE Interim Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin feels like he’s in a league of his own.
He said:
“I am glad that ONE management has done it. Yes, these guys have some good grappling skills, some striking, but none of them is on my level.
“My skills are on a totally different level, and I am mentally different. I don’t see them as worthy opponents. They won’t last even two rounds against me.”
