"We got a middleweight holding the belt at heavyweight" - Ben Tynan challenges Anatoly Malykhin, triple champ responds
ONE Championship appears to have another heavyweight MMA star on their hands, Ben Tynan, who has not been shy about his career goals.
'Vanilla Thunder' featured in a high-octane bout last Friday, April 5, at ONE Fight Night 21 against Duke Didier, where the Elevation Fight Team product sought to get his second-straight win in the promotion.
Despite a spirited effort from 'The Duke of Canberra', Tynan poured on the barrage as he took Didier's back, forcing referee Herb Dean to call off the match for a round one TKO victory in Tynan's favor.
It was in the post-fight interview, though, where Tynan shined as he called out three-division ONE MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin, which was posted on ONE Championship's Instagram:
"I feel frickin' fantastic. The only issue is we got a middleweight holding the belt at heavyweight, and that ain't cool. I'm calling out Anatoly [Malykhin]. I'm coming for you, man. It may not be next, but I'm coming, brother. So, keep your eye out, baby."
Tynan then continued:
"He's a middleweight. There's not a middleweight on this planet that could beat me. I will whoop his [explicit]!"
Under the same post, Malykhin responded:
"Let's go 🔥"
How a world title bout between Anatoly Malykhin and Ben Tynan might play out
Opposing styles make for great fights and it certainly applies to a hypothetical meeting between Malykhin and Tynan.
Tynan would lean on his wrestling pedigree to bring the fight down to the ground, while Malykhin's supremacy in boxing would want to keep it standing and pepper the would-be challenger with stinging blows throughout.
Should the bout happen, there will definitely be no shortage of action from either man as they battle over the ONE heavyweight MMA world title.