Anatoly Malykhin on title shot securing victory at ONE: Revolution

Anatoly Malykhin put out Amir Aliakbari’s lights at ONE: Revolution on September 24th.

This KO victory made it back-to-back stoppages in the first frame for Malykhin in his pair of ONE Championship bouts so far.

The HEAVYWEIGHT BRAWL between Amir Aliakbari and Anatoly Malykhin ended in a HUGE KNOCKOUT 💥😤😱 #ONERevolution #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/WQSt1i5hCz

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 25, 2021

ONE Championship now has a new number one contender at heavyweight and the next challenger is determined for Arjan Bhullar’s crown.

The undefeated brick-fisted pugilist now gets into double-digit territory as Anatoly Malykhin is now 10-0 in his pro-MMA endeavors so far.

I spoke with the rising Russian heavyweight, through the aid of a translator, at the post-event presser. The excerpts from our Zoom-based interaction are below.

Anatoly Malykhin

Malykhin’s thoughts on Aliakbari’s pre-fight comments that ONE Championship heavyweights were not on his level

“Yeah, Amir had a right to say this. Because I mean, he used to fight in Russian promotion and he was fighting with really good fighters. And he beat them. And also, he is a Greco Roman champion. So basically he had the right to say this. But you know, when you get into another level and you meet another level of people, you have to accept this. And sometimes you fail.”

ONE: Revolution

Having back to back first round KOs in the circle and representing Russia on a global platform ONE Championship

Anatoly Malykhin said, “So I’ve been observing and watching the ONE Championship for a really long time. When I got the contract I was super happy to get this rolling. The Russian audience is huge and we are in love with MMA. I feel very responsible and I’m very proud to represent Russia. And one day, I hope I can get the title shot and I get the title. Can defend this title for a very long time. ONE Championship title is my dream. And I believe dreams come true.”

Dylan Bowker

I've been enamored with combat sports for as long as I can remember. I've hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, Mark Coleman, and more. I've been an MMA broadcaster for XFFC as well as BTC and have done play by play commentary on live pay per view on GFL as well as FITE TV. I've provided written, audio, and video content covering some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage. I've worked as a sports entertainment personality for over five years and given play-by-play or featured promotions of KSW, ONE Championship, TKO, and Invicta FC. My work can be found in the USA Today Sports affiliate MMA Torch, Cageside Press, MMA Sucka, and Liberty Multimedia.

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