“It's a very easy fight” - Chatri Sityodtong says Anatoly Malykhin would obliterate Francis Ngannou if they fought
Chatri Sityodtong strongly believes that ONE MMA heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin is the best in the game right now and could take on anybody with ease, including top fighter Francis Ngannou.
The ONE Championship chairman and CEO talked about this during the virtual press conference for ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut, which will take place on Sept. 27 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
In making his case, Sityodtong highlighted that apart from his knockout power, Anatoly Malykhin has a crazy ground game that no heavyweight fighter has, saying:
"I think it's a very easy fight. I think for Anatoly to fight Francis [Ngannou], it's a very easy fight because styles make fights. Yes, Francis has very dangerous knockout power, but he has no ground game, right? He has no wrestling and he's a blue belt in jiu-jitsu. Anatoly is a monster on the ground."
Check out what he had to say below:
Anatoly Malykhin is undefeated in 14 professional fights to date, the last six in ONE Championship, where in addition to the heavyweight gold, he holds the middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world titles.
Ngannou, meanwhile, long competed in the UFC and for a time was the heavyweight champion there. He was linked to ONE after he left the UFC but nothing concrete came out with the negotiations.
Meanwhile, ONE Championship returns this week with ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut, which will be available to North American fans via global pay-per-view through watch.onefc.com. For more information on it, visit the ONE Championship website.
Anatoly Malykhin to defend heavyweight belt against 'Reug Reug'
Anatoly Malykhin returns to action on Nov. 8 at ONE 169 in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., where he will defend the ONE heavyweight MMA world title against Senegalese challenger Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane in the headlining match.
It will be the first time that 'Sladkiy' will be defending the heavyweight gold after unifying the belts in the division in June last year with a TKO victory over former divisional king Arjan Bhullar.
Malykhin comes in ONE 169: Atlanta off winning his third ONE world title --middleweight -- in March in Qatar.
Looking to dethrone him is 'Reug Reug', winner of his last four matches and six of seven under ONE Championship.
Tickets for ONE 169: Atlanta are available for purchase via Ticketmaster.