Anatoly Malykhin at the moment holds titles throughout three divisions in ONE Championship, however he’s nonetheless working to get his identify on the market extra to a much bigger, worldwide struggle viewers.
The Russian mauler has constructed a repute as a ferocious finisher with an ideal 14-0 MMA document. He doesn’t have a single choice on his résumé and solely one in all his opponents has survived previous the second spherical. Whereas he’s arguably conquered each mountain ONE might throw at him, Malykhin stays open to different challenges, which incorporates his curiosity in a showdown in opposition to former UFC champion and present PFL heavyweight Francis Ngannou.
Malykhin has referred to as for a struggle in opposition to Ngannou up to now, and it’s nonetheless a matchup he’d like to land if ONE Championship and PFL might sometime come to phrases on some form of crossover occasion. Whereas he has a number of respect for Ngannou and the previous UFC champ’s accomplishments, Malykhin likes his possibilities in that struggle, particularly after watching the Ngannou get flattened by Anthony Joshua in a boxing match again in March.
“I wish to congratulate Ngannou,” Malykhin advised MMA Preventing by way of his interpreter. “Though it wasn’t his evening, he made good cash, it wasn’t [a lose-lose] night for him. He obtained paid fairly good cash.
“As for our potential struggle, I can say that my robust factors are that I transfer higher than him and likewise I do nice physique pictures. I feel me on my toes could be an enormous drawback for him.”
Malykhin noticed one second, particularly, that made him additional consider he’d vanquish Ngannou in a possible struggle. He really predicted Joshua would knock out Ngannou with a really particular punch, which additionally occurs to be one in all his personal private favorites.
“After I was excited about the Anthony Joshua struggle with Ngannou, even earlier than the occasion and it occurred later, the best way he knocked him out, that is my signature punch,” Malykhin mentioned. “So after I was excited about how Anthony Joshua might knock him out, I might foresee that’s the way it was going to occur.
“Until Ngnanou works on it, that is how I might knock him out as properly. In the mean time, it’s arduous for Ngannou to struggle in opposition to knowledgeable boxer in boxing, however MMA guys, combating in boxing, it may be attention-grabbing.”
As a lot as Malykhin would love the chance for a crossover struggle in opposition to Ngannou, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong doesn’t sound fairly as , and it has nothing to do with orchestrating the strikes to co-promote an occasion with PFL.
As an alternative, Sityodtong has a lot religion in Malykhin as MMA’s finest heavyweight that he expects the undefeated Russian would even have a simple evening in opposition to Ngannou.
“I don’t suppose it might be aggressive,” Sityodtong advised MMA Preventing. “Francis has one-punch KO energy, nice putting, however he doesn’t have a floor sport. I imply, genuinely [he has] blue belt degree jiu-jitsu and no wrestling. Anatoly would take him down in a heartbeat. I don’t suppose it might be aggressive, simply to be very blunt, and I’m talking as a lifelong martial artist. I’m making an attempt to be as goal as attainable, and I’ve been doing 40 years of Muay Thai and 15 years of jiu-jitsu. I’m simply talking from private expertise and I’m making an attempt to be goal.
“Everyone knows in all of the completely different weight courses, wrestling is the one self-discipline that permits you to dictate the place the struggle takes place. If a wrestler needs to maintain it standing, he retains it standing. If he needs to take you down or she needs to take you down, they’ll take you down, particularly a world-class wrestler — a Russian nationwide group wrestler like Anatoly Malykhin. [But] we’ve all the time been open [to cross promotion].”
As a promotion based totally out of Asia, ONE Championship has continued to struggle for a much bigger market share within the west, which might put fighters like Malykhin on Ngannou’s radar.
Malykhin is aware of he could not have the largest or most worthwhile identify in MMA proper now, however he has unwavering perception that he’d dispatch Ngannou in spectacular style. He simply hopes sufficient individuals finally begin calling for the struggle that it’d really occur.
“Proper now he’s far more well-known than me, however I’m engaged on it,” Malykhin mentioned of Ngannou. “Persons are beginning to get to know me.”
“In the mean time, my identify is being talked about rather a lot, however after I began combating in MMA, I couldn’t foresee that I’d be so well-known. I began MMA 5 or 6 years in the past. Give me one other 12 months, 12 months and a half, and I positively [will] be talked about alongside these guys [as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport].”
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