Friday in Bangkok Russian Anatoly Malikhin had his longest fight of his professional career. Indian-Canadian Arjan Bhullar held out until the third round, but still capitulated, handing Malykhin the heavyweight belt from Asian promotion ONE.
At the time of the fight, Malykhin (now with 13 stoppage wins in MMA) already held the league’s light heavyweight belt after defeating Renier de Ridder. By the way, the Dutch fighter retains the ONE middleweight title, and that belt is Malykhin’s next goal. If the Russian manages to win it, then he will become the first fighter in the world to hold the belts in three weight classes at once. About this and not only, spoke with Malykhin a few hours after the triumph over Bhullar. From this interview you can learn:
“TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE FIGHT, I HAVE A WEAK LEG, THERE WAS THOUGHT TO REMOVE”
– Anatoly, you are officially a double champion.
– Awareness of this was present even before the battle. I already tell everyone that I am a triple champion. My wife and I work very hard on visualization and proper thinking. And all this does not keep you waiting. The second belt has arrived, the third will arrive in October. Everything is clear, I’m getting high.
– If I understand correctly, you underwent an MRI after the fight. Just in case, or are there consequences?
“I don’t like to talk about it. I had an injury two weeks before the fight. I was worried about an injury, but we decided we had to fight. My leg was taken off – the nerve in the pelvis was pinched, I couldn’t really jump. It was hard. There were even pansies to remove, but we didn’t. I was very worried and during the fight in the second round my leg started to give out, I stopped feeling it. I want to hit hard, but I understand that I no longer feel my leg. Now they did an MRI. They said I would live, but I needed treatment.
– Your fight with Bhullar has been postponed several times. Tell me, when did you realize that this meeting would take place?
We have already observed it. When we signed the contract for the fight, we saw that he was not training. And then we understood that the fight would be 50 against 50. This time, I saw that he was preparing thoroughly. He was almost at his best. There was a lot in this fight. I said a lot, he said a lot, and I had to answer with words. The winner of this fight has gone to a new level. Still, the heavyweight championship belt is the most prestigious of those there is. The fight was responsible, and now it’s clear who the champion is.
– In general, Anatoly Malykhin responded for his words.
– 100%. I am always responsible for my words. The only thing is, I said I would knock him out in the first round, but he lived until the third. Yes, even if he behaved badly, fought a dirty fight, but I give him credit. He’s a really tough guy, he hit hard and took well.
– Do you still think he’s “chicken”?
– He was a chicken (smiling). And you know, in Thailand there are fighting cocks that are washed and cleaned. They are very valuable. Let’s transfer it to this rank – a fighting cock (Laughs).
– Well, you and Bhullar have been busy for a long time. As I understand it, this is the longest fight of your professional career (Malykhin’s previous 12 wins were in the first or second round).
— Yes, it was the longest fight. Again Bhullar is a very good fighter, he is very handy for heavyweight. No wonder he trained with Cain Velasquez. I think he had a unique experience there, and that school is visible – he’s always covered in his hands, always moving, like Daniel Cormier, always getting closer to you. He is a top fighter, I liked him as an athlete. It was hard for me with him, and that’s precisely his merit. Yeah, and on my face you can see he hit it hard.
“WE WILL ENTER OUR NAME IN THE MMA TEXTBOOKS”
– You immediately outlined your future goal in the octagon – the second fight with de Ridder for his middleweight belt.
– Yes, de Ridder has already recorded a video that he is ready. October or November. We will continue to reflect. So let’s write our name in the MMA textbooks! Triple champion, this has never happened before (smiling).
– Here I am trying to put myself in de Ridder’s shoes… After that heavy knockout in your first light heavyweight fight, it would be psychologically difficult for me to come out for a rematch. Moreover, it was the Dutchman’s first defeat.
– In my opinion, during our first fight, he underestimated me. He thought I was the same ordinary fighter, that he was going to crush me now. I saw that in his camp, in his attitude towards me, there were such notes of underestimating my abilities. Now there will be a completely different fight, and I will fight on his territory. For the first time I will (weight) 93 kg. I think I can easily do this weight, there will be no problem with it. But again, this is his territory. I’m sure de Ridder will draw conclusions, but I’ll be ready like never before.
– Becoming a triple champion is your only challenge in ONE. LAW?
– Well, at heavyweight in August, Buchecha (Marcus Almeida) is fighting with Oumar Kane. I think in October we will have a fight with de Ridder, and in January-February – with Buchecha in the heavyweight division. If the guys go for the belt they win everyone, you can’t downplay their merits. You have to fight and give the guys a chance to have a good life. In heavyweight, I see Buchecha as an opponent, in 93 kg – from Ridder. And now, I think, someone else is going to sign. I see that ONE is advancing by leaps and bounds – huge bonuses, cash investments, the level of battles is simply colossal. Honestly, I watched the fights on TV, and I didn’t even see such fights even in Pride. People are just fighting each other. I look and think, “Cat Eshkin.” The five of us met in the hospital – someone is cursed, someone is stitched up, someone’s hand is fixed. I think in a year, ONE will sound very loud all over the world.
– Still, many are skeptical about this league and say it’s impossible to see Anatoly Malykhin’s real potential in ONE.
“I think I have good opposition. I understand my level. If people who’ve never walked in a cage say, ‘Yeah, he didn’t fight that one or that one.’ know my level, I move well guys Take Bhullar, he’s 3-1 in the UFC, and that fight he lost… He won that fight, he just missed the submission. de Ridder’s track record. The same Amir Aliakbari. ONE brings together the good guys. And if you put fighters against other leagues, I’m sure ONE will definitely not lose face. That’s 100%. Also, ONE has separate grappling and kickboxing shows. Nobody does that.
MMA is very popular in Asia. All tickets were now sold out, we couldn’t buy anything a week before the event. I was in Malaysia, the tournament was around 7 am local time and the stadium was packed! Six months ago, for example, nobody was talking about ONE in Russia. And now, thanks to your humble servant Anatoly Malykhin, there has been some noise. And we will continue to make noise.
“JOHN JONES MUST BE A DOG BATTLE”
Who do you think is the best heavyweight in the world?
– At the moment, the best heavyweight is Jon Jones. It’s a legend. I hadn’t thought about switching to MMA yet, but he gave such tips. But Seryozha Pavlovich, I think, will soon surprise the whole world.
– In the list of the best heavyweights in the world, where is Anatoly Malykhin?
– Seryoga (Pavlovich) and I will take the second line – shoulder to shoulder, entwined. But soon Pavlovich will get rid of John Jones, and he will be in first place, and I will be left alone in second place (smiling).
How would you fight Jon Jones? You had never imagined this confrontation?
– I did, of course. And in my head it’s going great, but as soon as you step into the octagon…Jon Jones has some crazy skills – his elbows, great wrestling. If I was fighting with Jones, then the character would decide in that fight. To win against Jon Jones, you have to fight, not test your skills. You have to fight, work the body, knit. There must be a dogfight and then you can win. If you work for equipment, then there’s nothing to catch, including me.
“IN ASIA PEOPLE ARE SINCERELY WORRIED, IN RUSSIA WE NEED TO WORK ON IT”
Are you popular in Asia?
“A lot of people take pictures. I think in Asia I am more popular than in Russia. My beloved wife and I left Bangkok in two hours, and the workers building the house are shouting, ‘Malikhin! They almost jump from the second floor and run towards them. They have a kind of sincere love without envy, here they are open. We also have such people, but we still have to work on it. I am talking about supporting my fighters, more than sincerity I remember in the Philippines I couldn’t even take a step after leaving the stadium – they almost carried you in their arms.
And one more thing… I didn’t think I would reach such a level that Russians would buy tickets and come to Bangkok. I saw so many familiar people! It’s very cool. In general, Asia likes me. God willing, it will continue.
– What do you think, who is more popular among Russian fighters in Asia – you or Fedor Emelianenko?
– Of course, Fedor Emelianenko. Once I was sitting at home, which no one needed, watching Fedor fights and every time I thought, “I can do this too. He glorifies our country, he has done well! A real rich man! An Orthodox person brings good. I loaded and loaded and that’s what happened. 80% of the fact that I came to MMA is due to Fedor Emelianenko.
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All ONE tournaments are broadcast live on and Match! Fighter”.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
