“Easy money!” - Triple-champ Anatoly Malykhin downplays Ben Tynan’s chances at his heavyweight throne
Three-division king Anatoly Malykhin was not impressed with Ben Tynan's first-round destruction of Duke Didier at ONE Fight Night 21.
On Friday night, April 5, fans witnessed the rise of a new heavyweight contender as the Canadian standout scored his second-straight win under the ONE Championship banner and sixth overall, smashing through Aussie standout Duke Didier.
Immediately following his win, Tynan called out Malykhin in his post-fight interview, saying:
"The only issue is, we got a middleweight holding the belt at heavyweight and that ain't cool. I'm calling out Anatoly. I'm coming for you, man. It may not be next, but I'm coming, brother."
Malykhin, who currently reigns as the ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world champion, was in attendance and offered his thoughts on Ben Tynan's win.
"This guy, no speed, no power, no technique," Malykhin said. "Easy money! This guy? 2x bonus for me."
Tynan may still be a win or two away from world title contention. Still, you can't deny that his unique vibe and immense power will inevitably make him a star in ONE Championship's evolving heavyweight division.
If not Ben Tynan, who's next for Anatoly Malykhin?
In March, Anatoly Malykhin etched his name in the history books, defeating Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166 and becoming the first fighter to hold three different divisional world titles simultaneously.
'Sladkiy' appears primed for a return to heavyweight where a couple of potential contenders await their opportunity. Amir Aliakbari — who already knows a thing or two about going toe-to-toe with Anatoly Malykhin — is riding a three-fight win streak, including a victory over former ONE heavyweight MMA world champion Arjan Bhullar in his last outing. That likely makes him the man most likely to challenge Malykhin next.
However, Aliakbari isn't the only man vying for a shot at 26 pounds of gold. After a huge win over the previously undefeated Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida, Senegalese standout Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane is 6-1 in MMA with five of his wins coming under the ONE banner.
If it's not Ben Tynan, who do you want to see 'Sladkiy' defend his heavyweight strap against later this year?
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the ONE Fight Night 21 replay via Amazon Prime Video in North America.