Anatoly Malykhin was just anointed by Chatri Sityodtong as the greatest heavyweight competitor on the face of the globe.
Because of this, the Chairman and CEO of ONE Fighting Championship is convinced that the current holder of two different world championships can win against any heavyweight in the UFC, even the iconic Jon Jones.
During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Sityodtong expressed his desire to participate in a big cross-promotion event that would match his champions against the greatest fighters that the North American organization has to offer.
In addition, the head honcho of ONE provided an explanation as to why ‘Sladkiy’ should most certainly be included in the discussion over “The Baddest Man on the Planet”:
“Take a look at Anatoly Malykhin, the current champion of our heavyweight division. He has a perfect finishing percentage (100%) and is unbeaten (13-0). In addition to all of his other accomplishments, he competed for the Russian national wrestling team in the past. My prediction is that he will knock out Jon Jones and the rest of the heavyweights in the UFC.
Before Malykhin joined the organization based in Singapore in 2021, he was regarded as an unappreciated hidden gem. After joining the organization, however, he burst onto the scene and left a trail of carnage in his wake.
The Russian heavy bomber has knocked out all of the men he has ever competed against, including five world-class competitors while competing under the ONE Championship banner.
Malykhin defeated Reinier de Ridder in less than a round at ONE on Prime Video 5 in 2017 to win the light heavyweight world title in the organization known as ONE. Malykhin also stole de Ridder’s perfect record and consciousness away from him.
Following his devastating victory over Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June of last year, he successfully unified the heavyweight belts held by ONE Championship.
It has been suggested by Sityodtong that a cross-promotion event between ONE and UFC would be the greatest spectacle in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA), and a hypothetical fight between Anatoly Malykhin and Jon Jones would without a doubt be a deserving main event.
For the time being, this item on the wish list of every MMA fan is still nothing more than a pipe dream. Let us put our faith in the combat gods and pray that one day this vision will become a reality.
