By:  | June 10, 2022 12:41 pm

This week Arjan Bhullar suggested that Anatoly Malykhin had gone very quiet since the prospect of the two heavyweights fighting one another became a reality. Well that didn’t last long with the Russian responding in typically forthright style.

Malykhin has had plenty to say about Bhullar already and he had a few more words for the regular champion,

“(He) is my little baby chicken who is clinging on to the belt that should be mine. He’s not a real champion. He keeps hiding from strong opponents, tries to choose convenient opponents.”

Bhullar holds the regular title while Malykhin is the interim champion. The two belts need unifying and both heavyweights know they are on a collision course even if a date hasn’t been made official for that fight.

In the works

The fight has been in the works for a long time to Malykhin has had plenty of chance to study Bhullar and he doesn’t sound overly impressed,

“I am a Russian freestyle wrestling champion so he won’t be able to surprise me. His striking is very weak, it looks like he is trying to swat a mosquito. People will forget him after I am finished with him.”

Bhullar has not fought since beating Brandon Vera to win the title last year. While Malykhin has respect for the former champion he thinks the UFC veteran was well past his prime by the time he lost the belt,

“No disrespect to the legend. (He) was a great champ but I think he was already very tired and mentally done.”

Different level

This week Bhullar called Malykhin a ‘coward’ but the Russian was not worried,

“People like that have a habit of projecting their own problems on others. We will see who is who during the fight. I am faster, stronger, have better punches, and my stamina is great. If he is brave enough to sign the contract, he will, and then you’ll see how he falls on the canvas.”

Fans will be interested to hear that nothing has been signed yet. There is no doubt that this match is in the works but Malykhin is pleased to see that the heavyweight roster has been bolstered with some other new signings,

“I am glad that ONE management has done it. Yes, these guys have some good grappling skills, some striking, but none of them is on my level.”

Marcus Almeida has taken the heavyweight division by storm with three first rounds stoppage wins in quick succession. But Malykhin is not intimidated by the prospect of facing a BJJ black belt and believes he can beat anyone in the division,

“My skills are on a totally different level, and I am mentally different. I don’t see them as worthy opponents. They won’t last even two rounds against me.”