ONE League champion in three weight classes Anatoly Malykhin in a conversation with , he expressed interest in a fight with the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou .
The Russian fighter is undefeated in 14 fights since 2021, competing in Asian promotion ONE Championship. Malykhin will have his next fight on November 9 at the ONE 169 tournament in Bangkok against a Senegalese fighter, Oumar Kane.
— You said that in 2025, it would be cool to organize a fight with Francis Ngannou. How do you imagine this fight, given that you are in ONE Championship and he is in PFL?
“I think the bosses should still get along here.” My job is to say I’m ready. I think he’s ready too. He has now declared that he is the best fighter outside of the UFC. And I consider myself the best fighter outside of the premier organization. And I think he can’t call himself the best until he fights me. When he fights me, we’ll see what his name will be.
Maybe it will be some sort of alternative venue or a boxing match. Of course I would like MMA. After all, we both come from this sport. The fight would have been very noisy for the Russian public, but also for the foreign public. I admit that Ngannou is a much bigger figure than me, if we take world fame specifically. But in Thailand and Asia, I walk down the street and realize that many people recognize me. So there would be a battle for the market. He wants to conquer the Asian market, and I want his market. I think he would be interested, I’m sure he’s heard about me,” Malykhin told .
Ngannou is one of the most popular heavyweights in mixed martial arts. The Cameroonian fighter left the UFC league as the reigning champion with a belt defense, led two fights in professional boxing against Tyson Fury and Anton Joshua, after which he debuted in the PFL league and knocked out Renan Ferreira during a tournament in Saudi Arabia. Arabia on October 19.
The ONE 169 tournament in Bangkok will be broadcast live on November 9 on and Match! Fighter,” begins at 4:00 Moscow time.
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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.
