5 of the most promising heavyweights in ONE Championship

In the early days of ONE Championship, its heavyweight division left a lot to be desired. That’s understandable. The average height for males in Asia is about 5-feet-7-inches. That’s a stark contrast to the six-to-seven foot behemoths who competed in other martial arts organizations at the time.

Today, however, that’s no longer the case. ONE Championship has made strides to beef up its heaviest weight class with incredible talent from all over the world. Now, the heavyweight division in the promotion is one of the most exciting in the entire organization.

Led by guys like reigning ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan ‘Singh’ Bhullar and former heavyweight king Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera, the heavyweight division has provided fans with a handful of epic contests, particularly in the past year or so.

There’s no doubt about it. Fans absolutely love to see two massive fighters collide in a steel cage, just to see what happens. The results are usually cut from epic material.

Fascinated by the giants of mixed martial arts? Let’s take a quick look at five of the most talented and most promising heavyweight talents in ONE Championship today.

---

#5. Dustin Joynson (ONE Championship record: 0-1)

Dustin Joynson has trained and fought for several organizations over the past 13 years and finally found a home in ONE Championship in January 2021.

The Canadian heavyweight came in as an undefeated fighter with six bouts in his professional career, four of which didn't reach the scorecards. At ONE: NextGen in October, he made his debut against fellow heavy hitter Kirill Grishenko. By the end of the night, only one of them would stand with an unblemished record.

While it was Joynson who found himself on the losing end of the bout, he made a good account for himself with a late rally that almost helped him steal the win over his rival.

While it ultimately wasn’t enough to get his hands raised in victory, the 34-year-old made sure to confirm that his striking was legit by leaving visible damage on Grishenko’s face.

Let’s face it, Joynson is just getting warmed up. His maiden loss could be a spark for the man to become even better when he steps into the Circle once again.

#4. Kang Ji Won (ONE Championship record: 2-1)

26-year-old Kang Ji Won from Korea started his professional career in 2018. He has quickly made a name for himself as an exciting finisher since joining ONE Championship in 2021.

The South Korean fighter has not fought beyond the first round through six bouts and has used his heavy fists to finish off his first five opponents. He’s also made it a habit to score shocking finishes against fighters he was never supposed to beat. In his first two fights in ONE, Kang stopped decorated wrestlers Mehdi Barghi and Amir Aliakbari.

At ONE: Winter Warriors in December 2021, Kang faced arguably the toughest opponent he has ever had to face in Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida, a living legend in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world. Their matchup was also done by the first round, but Kang would be on the losing end for the first time in his professional career.

‘Buchecha’ later admitted that he spent a lot of energy trying to make his opponent tap out and almost thought that he wouldn’t finish him at the time because of Kang’s heart.

With his dangerous hands already a threat, his loss to ‘Buchecha’ can only help ‘Mighty Warrior’ find ways to improve his takedown defense and become an entirely different animal the next time we see him in the Circle.

---

#3. Kirill Grishenko (ONE Championship record: 2-0)

Kirill Grishenko made his ONE Championship debut in April 2021 and has already put a blemish on the records of two undefeated fighters.

The Belarusian giant started his professional MMA career in 2020. While he has proven that his hands can be dangerous, he actually started his martial arts career as a Greco-Roman wrestler, where he won two European Championships, among other accolades.

He showed his wrestling prowess in controlling the fight against Senegalese wrestling machine Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane on his way to stopping that freight train’s undefeated run.

Next, Grishenko’s striking skills were tested against heavy-hitting newcomer, Dustin Joynson. While it was his overall skills that shined during their match, he showed that he wasn’t afraid to stand and strike against the best in the world.

His successful run has earned him a chance at becoming ONE interim heavyweight world champion in just the second year of his MMA journey.

#2. Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida (ONE Championship record: 2-0)

Before his arrival in ONE Championship, Marcus Almeida has put together a legendary career in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

‘Buchecha’ has won 13 Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championships, which includes a record six in the openweight category. Former ONE light heavyweight world champion and Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Roger Gracie previously held the record at three.

In his transition to MMA, he added some new weapons to his game, but ultimately stayed true to his nature of being an expert in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

In his first two bouts in the promotion, he has already faced two strikers in kickboxing veteran Anderson Silva and rising star Kang Ji Won and defeated them both by submission in the first round.

Almeida’s bullishness in asserting Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his MMA bouts has earned criticism, but may actually be good for the sport. It gives fans a chance to see what MMA originally sought out to be, a battle between different disciplines of martial arts.

---

#1. Anatoly Malykhin (ONE Championship record: 2-0)

Anatoly Malykhin may be the most promising fighter to follow both in and out of the Circle.

The hulking Russian has finished all 10 of his professional bouts in a variety of ways and has proven that his wrestling and grappling are as fearsome as his fists.

In his first two bouts in ONE Championship, ‘Sladkiy’ knocked out both former ONE world title challenger Alexandre Machado and Iranian superstar Amir Aliakbari in the first round.

Meanwhile, outside of fighting, Malykhin’s Instagram account shows a totally different side to the ONE Championship heavyweight, as he posts silly skits and other entertaining content with his family.

The 34-year-old has previously shared that he understands that succeeding as a fighter is not only about winning matches, but also about winning the hearts of fans.

He may soon find himself wrapped in gold as he is set to face Kirill Grishenko for the ONE interim heavyweight world championship. He will no doubt be a force to reckon with in the division no matter the outcome of the match.