WATCH: Anatoly Malykhin's seismic punching power leaves Amir Aliakbari knocked out cold
Revisit Anatoly Malykhin's electrifying knockout against Amir Aliakbari.
In September 2021, Malykhin was matched up against Aliakbari for a heavyweight MMA showdown at ONE: Revolution. The Russian powerhouse was coming off an impressive promotional debut where he knocked out Alexandre Machado by first-round knockout. Meanwhile, Aliakbari had lost his first fight under the ONE banner.
Aliakbari attempted to slow down Malykhin by utilizing his grappling. Unfortunately for him, 'Sladkiy' showcased his versatility and kept the fight standing before securing a violent first-round knockout, which can be seen below:
Since then, Anatoly Malykhin and Amir Aliakbari have found tremendous success in ONE Championship. Malykhin has solidified himself as one of the greatest fighters in promotional history by becoming a three-division MMA world champion. 'Sladkiy' holds a professional MMA record of 14-0, including six wins in ONE.
As for Aliakbari, the Iranian heavyweight has turned things around since his 0-2 promotional start. The 36-year-old is riding a four-fight win streak, including two against former world champions (Brandon Vera and Arjan Bhullar).
Anatoly Malykhin and Amir Aliakbari on collision course for must-see heavyweight rematch
Amir Aliakbari's impressive run put him in the conversation for a heavyweight title shot against Anatoly Malykhin. Instead, ONE Championship decided to reward 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane with a chance to dethrone Malykhin on November 8 in the ONE 169: Atlanta main event.
Tickets for ONE 169, which goes down inside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, can be found on Ticketmaster.
Malykhin has the responsibility of defending three world titles, so it's unclear when he will fight at heavyweight again if he defeats 'Reug Reug.' Therefore, Aliakbari might have to secure another win to solidify a title shot against another top contender like Ben Tynan or Kang Ji Won.
Nonetheless, a rematch between Malykhin and Aliakbari seems inevitable, as they've established an intense rivalry. In June 2023, the heavyweight king was in attendance for Aliakbari's first-round knockout win against Dustin Joynson. During the post-fight interview, Malykhin entered the ring and almost started a brawl.
Only time will tell when and where the heavyweight powerhouses meet again.
Watch the altercation between Malykhin and Aliakbari below: