“Serious Ric Flair vibes” - Fans fall in love with Ben Tynan’s brash callout of triple champ Anatoly Malykhin
ONE Championship fans are clamoring to see Canadian standout Ben Tynan score a heavyweight title fight with reigning three-division champion Anatoly Malykhin.
On Friday, April 5, Tynan returned to the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for a showdown with Duke Didier at ONE Fight Night 21. It only took 'Vanilla Thunder' 2:36 to finish the Aussie, scoring his second straight win under the ONE banner and moving to 6-0 in his mixed martial arts career.
Immediately following the highlight reel-worthy win, Tynan called out the current ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world champion for a future clash inside the circle:
"Ben Tynan calls out Anatoly Malykhin!"
Fans were immediately impressed with Tynan's brash callout of the Russian juggernaut — but they were more impressed with the Canadian's vibe which brought comparisons to pro wrestling legends Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan:
"Giving some serious Ric Flair vibes."
"Is that Hulk Hogan's brother."
"Amazing match up! Make it happen."
"That would be a great fight."
"Canadian Hogan."
"Ric Flair in MMA."
"VANILLA THUNDER STRIKES AGAIN."
If not Ben Tynan, who's next for Anatoly Malykhin at heavyweight?
With back-to-back finishes on martial arts' biggest global stage, Ben Tynan is well on his way to being a legitimate heavyweight contender in ONE Championship. However, 'Vanilla Thunder' likely has a little more work to do before he can score his first shot at 26 pounds of ONE gold.
With Malykhin keen on defending his heavyweight title next, the likeliest scenario had 'Sladkiy' put one of his three belts on the line against Iranian powerhouse Amir Aliakbari or Senegalese standout Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane. Both are coming off massive victories in their last outings.
Aliakbari stifled the offense of former champion Arjan Bhullar at ONE 166: Qatar while 'Reug Reug' came out on top in an entertaining scrap with 17-time BJJ world champion Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida last summer.
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the ONE Fight Night 21 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Vidoe in North America.