Anatoly Malykhin at present holds titles throughout three divisions in ONE Championship, however he’s nonetheless working to get his identify on the market extra to an even bigger, worldwide struggle viewers.
The Russian mauler has constructed a fame as a ferocious finisher with an ideal 14-0 MMA file. He doesn’t have a single resolution on his résumé and solely one among his opponents has survived previous the second spherical. Whereas he’s arguably conquered each mountain ONE might throw at him, Malykhin stays open to different challenges, which incorporates his curiosity in a showdown towards former UFC champion and present PFL heavyweight Francis Ngannou.
Malykhin has known as for a struggle towards Ngannou prior to now, and it’s nonetheless a matchup he’d like to land if ONE Championship and PFL might sometime come to phrases on some form of crossover occasion. Whereas he has numerous respect for Ngannou and the previous UFC champ’s accomplishments, Malykhin likes his probabilities in that struggle, particularly after watching the Ngannou get flattened by Anthony Joshua in a boxing match again in March.
“I need to congratulate Ngannou,” Malykhin informed MMA Combating by means of his interpreter. “Though it wasn’t his evening, he made good cash, it wasn’t [a lose-lose] night for him. He bought paid fairly good cash.
“As for our potential struggle, I can say that my robust factors are that I transfer higher than him and in addition I do nice physique photographs. I believe me on my toes could be a giant drawback for him.”
Malykhin noticed one second, specifically, that made him additional imagine he’d vanquish Ngannou in a possible struggle. He truly predicted Joshua would knock out Ngannou with a really particular punch, which additionally occurs to be one among his personal private favorites.
“After I was eager about the Anthony Joshua struggle with Ngannou, even earlier than the occasion and it occurred later, the best way he knocked him out, that is my signature punch,” Malykhin stated. “So after I was eager about how Anthony Joshua might knock him out, I might foresee that’s the way it was going to occur.
“Except Ngnanou works on it, that is how I might knock him out as effectively. In the meanwhile, it’s arduous for Ngannou to struggle towards knowledgeable boxer in boxing, however MMA guys, preventing in boxing, it may be fascinating.”
As a lot as Malykhin would love the chance for a crossover struggle towards Ngannou, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong doesn’t sound fairly as , and it has nothing to do with orchestrating the strikes to co-promote an occasion with PFL.
As a substitute, Sityodtong has a lot religion in Malykhin as MMA’s greatest heavyweight that he expects the undefeated Russian would even have a simple evening towards Ngannou.
“I don’t suppose it will be aggressive,” Sityodtong informed MMA Combating. “Francis has one-punch KO energy, nice putting, however he doesn’t have a floor sport. I imply, genuinely [he has] blue belt stage jiu-jitsu and no wrestling. Anatoly would take him down in a heartbeat. I don’t suppose it will be aggressive, simply to be very blunt, and I’m talking as a lifelong martial artist. I’m making an attempt to be as goal as doable, and I’ve been doing 40 years of Muay Thai and 15 years of jiu-jitsu. I’m simply talking from private expertise and I’m making an attempt to be goal.
“Everyone knows in all of the totally different weight lessons, wrestling is the one self-discipline that permits you to dictate the place the struggle takes place. If a wrestler desires to maintain it standing, he retains it standing. If he desires to take you down or she desires to take you down, they’ll take you down, particularly a world-class wrestler — a Russian nationwide staff wrestler like Anatoly Malykhin. [But] we’ve at all times been open [to cross promotion].”
As a promotion based totally out of Asia, ONE Championship has continued to struggle for an even bigger market share within the west, which might put fighters like Malykhin on Ngannou’s radar.
Malykhin is aware of he might not have the largest or most worthwhile identify in MMA proper now, however he has unwavering perception that he’d dispatch Ngannou in spectacular vogue. He simply hopes sufficient individuals ultimately begin calling for the struggle that it would truly occur.
“Proper now he’s far more well-known than me, however I’m engaged on it,” Malykhin stated of Ngannou. “Persons are beginning to get to know me.”
“In the meanwhile, my identify is being talked about rather a lot, however after I began preventing in MMA, I couldn’t foresee that I might be so well-known. I began MMA 5 or 6 years in the past. Give me one other yr, yr and a half, and I positively [will] be talked about alongside these guys [as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport].”
