"Don't hide, come out" - Anatoly Malykhin says he'll 'crush' heavyweight MMA contenders 'Reug Reug' and Amir Aliakbari
Three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin is ready to defend his heavyweight throne against anyone.
On March 1, Malykhin knocked out Reinier de Ridder in round two of their rematch to secure the ONE middleweight MMA world title. Following his latest win against De Ridder, 'Sladkiy' is the king of three divisions, including light heavyweight and heavyweight, leading to questions about where he will fight next.
Malykhin made an appearance at ONE Fight Night 21 on Friday night and did a quick interview in the ring. The hard-hitting Russian was asked about what's next and responded by calling out heavyweight contenders 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane and Amir Aliakbari:
"I'm gonna crush [every] heavyweight. Anyone, anywhere, don't hide, come out. I'm ready for anyone, Reug Reug, Aliakbari, let's go. Easy work!"
The replay of ONE Fight Night 21, including Anatoly Malykhin's appearance, can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.
Who should challenge Anatoly Malykhin for the heavyweight throne first?
'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane and Amir Aliakbari are widely considered the most deserving of a ONE heavyweight MMA world title shot.
Kane started his ONE tenure with back-to-back first-round knockout wins before suffering his lone loss against Kirill Grishenko. Since then, the Senegalese powerhouse has won three consecutive fights, including a unanimous decision against Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida last time out.
As for Aliakbari, the Iranian grappler suffered two knockout losses against Kang Ji Won and Anatoly Malykhin after signing with the promotion. Luckily for him, he's silenced the doubters with four consecutive wins, including a disqualification victory on March 1 against former heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar.
'Reug Reug' deserves a shot at ONE gold, but he will likely have to wait. Malykhin and Aliakbari have a history that's led to an intense physical confrontation after one of the latter's wins. The Iranian also defeated a former world champion in Bhullar, adding to his aura.