“This is my signature punch” - Anatoly Malykhin says he can knock out Francis Ngannou the same way Anthony Joshua did
Reigning and undisputed ONE heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight MMA world champion 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin is confident he can sleep former UFC heavyweight king 'The Predator' Francis Ngannou with the same punch Anthony Joshua used not too long ago.
Ngannou faced the famous pro boxer in a crossover fight last March, and lost via second-round knockout after getting hit with an explosive overhand right.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Malykhin said he could destroy Ngannou with the very same technique.
'Sladkiy' stated:
"When I was thinking about the Anthony Joshua fight with Ngannou, even before the event and it happened later, the way he knocked him out, this is my signature punch. So when I was thinking about how Anthony Joshua could knock him out, I could foresee that is how it was going to happen."
Malykhin is one of the biggest knockout finishers in ONE Championship. All of his six victories in the promotion have come inside the distance. He is a perfect 6-0 in the world's largest martial arts organization.
'Sladkiy' sees another potential highlight reel knockout if he can somehow lure Ngannou into a fight. Malykhin added:
“Unless Ngnanou works on it, this is how I could knock him out as well. At the moment, it’s hard for Ngannou to fight against a professional boxer in boxing, but MMA guys, fighting in boxing, it can be interesting.”
What's next for Anatoly Malykhin?
The ONE Championship triple MMA king is back in Thailand after a much-needed vacation to resume training. Many fans speculate the Russian star is gearing up for a return to action towards the end of the year, potentially on one of ONE Championship's upcoming U.S. cards in Denver and Atlanta.
Potential opponents include Iran's Amir Aliakbari, Senegal's Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane, or Brazilian legend Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida.
Needless to say, a return to heavyweight appears to be in Malykhin's near future.