WATCH: Anatoly Malykhin’s brutal mauling of Arjan Bhullar to capture undisputed heavyweight MMA gold in Bangkok

Anatoly Malykhin punching Arjan Bhulllar | Image credit: ONE Championship
Anatoly Malykhin punching Arjan Bhulllar | Image credit: ONE Championship

In June 2023, the unification of the ONE heavyweight MMA world title occurred as defending world champion Arjan Bhullar and interim world champion Anatoly Malykhin finally crossed paths to determine the undisputed king of the division.

The full fight between the two MMA superstars was reposted by ONE Championship on its official YouTube channel. The description reads:

“Before two-division ONE World Champion Anatoly Malykhin rematches Reinier de Ridder for the middleweight throne and aims to become a historic three-division MMA king at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1, relive his crowning moment against former heavyweight titleholder Arjan Bullar in 2023!“
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Malykhin started the fight with enormous forward pressure and used his elite boxing skills to force Bhullar on the backfoot. This approach has presented multiple opportunities for the interim world champion early in the fight, as he landed several punches.

Although he sustained multiple hard punches, the 37-year-old Indian star was able to inflict damage with his counterpunch and jabs to open a cut on Malykhin’s nose in the opening round.

The same narrative was witnessed in the second round as ‘Sladkiy’ continued to move forward and unleash powerful combinations on ‘Singh’ that stunned him multiple times. The Russian powerhouse also utilized the clinch to wreak additional damage with his knee strikes.

With his streak of first-round finishes already broken, Malykhin finally ended the match in the third round through a nasty ground-and-pound that forced the referee to step in and call it a fight in his favor.

That triumph has stamped Malykhin’s status as the best MMA heavyweight fighter in ONE and maintained his 100 percent finish rate intact.


Anatoly Malykhin guns for historic three-division title achievement in upcoming rematch with Reinier de Ridder

Despite his current status as a two-division MMA world champion, Malykhin isn’t satisfied with this accomplishment. He is now preparing for a world title rematch with Reinier de Ridder and the chance to be the first-ever three-division MMA world champion in history.

Malykhin, who also holds the ONE light heavyweight MMA world title, will be moving down a division to challenge ‘The Dutch Knight’ for the ONE middleweight MMA world title on March 1. They'll throw down in the main event of ONE 166, which will happen inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

The Golden Team representative previously knocked out de Ridder in their first meeting in December 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 5.

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