Anatoly Malykhin Supremely Confident Ahead Of Unification Bout With Arjan Bhullar

As the date draws nearer for ONE Interim Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin and his opportunity to unify the divisional strap, the heat between himself and reigning king Arjan Bhullar continues to rise.

The two behemoths will finally square off in the main event of ONE Fight Night 8 on Friday, 24th March, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, following months of delay and uncertainty.

The much-anticipated tussle was initially scheduled for last September at ONE 161, before an injury to Bhullar left it – and “Sladkiy” – in limbo.

Drawn out contract negotiations followed, and Anatoly Malykhin was forced to wait for his fateful day.

But with the dotted lines now signed, the Russian powerhouse is ready to claim what he feels is already rightfully his.

“[When I signed the contract], I felt certain that, soon, there [would] be a unification of belts, and I [would] become the absolute ONE Heavyweight World Champion,” Malykhin said. 

“I believe I already am. However, there was a small technicality left – this fight with Bhullar.

“I was glad to see his name on the contract when I got sent it. He’s already signed contracts three or four times and never showed up to a fight. So, we will see what happens this time. The important thing is that he makes an effort to get himself to the Circle.”  

Bhullar and Malykhin’s respective journeys to their massive collision in March couldn’t be more different. 

“Singh’s” last outing inside the Circle was his crowning moment against longtime heavyweight king Brandon “The Truth” Vera in May 2021. A series of injuries and contract disputes has kept him sidelined since then.

Malykhin, on the other hand, has been unstoppably active since his ONE debut in March 2021. He improved his perfect professional record to 12-0 in that time, with four wins coming inside the ONE Circle, including claiming both the interim heavyweight and undisputed light heavyweight World Titles.

The contrast between the two stars is stark, and it has been something that “Sladkiy” has focused on greatly when stoking the fires of his heated war of words with Bhullar.

The two-division titleholder is understandably feeling confident ahead of his ONE Heavyweight World Title unification bout. He sees no possible outcome where his upcoming opponent comes out on top – and feels a finish is inevitable.

“Bhullar has no chance at all. I’ll just knock him out. He’ll last until the second round at the most. There is no chance for him to last for five rounds,” Malykhin asserted.

“My fight with Bhullar is worth watching simply because I will be knocking him out. Everyone loves knockouts. When big boys fall down, [it’s] beautiful.”