Anatoly Malykhin says he’s ready to return in a few months to ‘smash’ Amir Aliakbari again

Anatoly Malykhin has been on a roll inside and outside the ONE Championship circle since officially becoming a two-sport king.

And that healthy streak of victories has only made the Russian tank more eager to compete and show why he is the meanest heavyweight and light heavyweight in the world.

With three world title victories over the past 16 months, the colossal martial artist is looking for another challenger who believes they can stop him.

One fighter that has long proclaimed that he can do exactly that is Iranian behemoth Amir Aliakbari, who returns against Dustin Joynson at ONE Fight Night 12 this Friday, July 14.

The wrestling specialist is eager to run it back against ‘Sladkiy,’ and his post-fight in-circle interviews further prove that he only wants to face Anatoly Malykhin next.

ONE’s heavyweight and light heavyweight king doesn’t think that Aliakbari has done enough to earn a rematch, though.

But if he doesn’t get to fulfill his move to middleweight in an attempt to become the organization’s first three-division king, ‘Sladkiy’ admitted he will run it back with his old foe easily.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the 35-year-old said:

“I'm ready to fight him in September-October. If [Reinier] de Ridder is not ready, I'm ready in September-October to smash him in that ring.”

Truthfully, Anatoly Malykhin shouldn’t have any issues smashing the Iranian. He essentially did that when they met at ONE: Revolution in September 2021.

Find out who triumphs in this important heavyweight contest at ONE Fight Night 12 on July 14. North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch all the action live and for free.