Adriano Moraes says Anatoly Malykhin loves what he does

Former ONE flyweight king Adriano Moraes is impressed with interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin. He can't wait to see how the Russian will fare in his unification bout next month.

Malykhin will collide with reigning world champion Arjan Bhullar at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video for the right to be named the undisputed ONE heavyweight world champion. The event is scheduled for Singapore on March 24.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, Adriano Moraes predicted that the heavyweight world title clash will be an explosive one, and one in which he likes the chances of Malykhin.

‘Mikinho' said:

“We have this amazing title fight in front of us. [Anatoly] Malykhin already showed us why he’s one of the best heavyweights in the world. He’s a knockout artist. He loves to be inside the ONE circle, you can see it in his face when he fights. He loves the job, he likes to see people going down.”

Watch the interview below:

Malykhin is streaking, winning four in a row. That includes his most recent outing in December, which saw him defeat Reinier de Ridder for the light heavyweight world title.

Adriano Moraes himself is set for a world title clash as he faces anew with reigning ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson in a trilogy showdown at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. The event is set for May 5 in Colorado, U.S.A.

The Brazilian star is seeking to reclaim the belt he lost last August when he was knocked out by Johnson in the fourth round. Their head-to-head series stands at one win apiece heading into the third and possibly last fight of their rivalry.

ONE Fight Night 10 is the first live on-ground event of the promotion in the United States. It is to be held at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield and aired live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

---

Adriano Moraes elated about ONE Championship’s growth into a martial arts powerhouse

One of the longest-tenured fighters on the ONE Championship roster, Adriano Moraes is elated to have seen the growth of the promotion throughout the years.

Making his ONE debut in 2013, 'Mikinho' has witnessed the organization moving past offering just mixed martial arts action and, recently, penetrating new and bigger markets.

He shared his views in an interview with SCMP MMA, saying:

“Today you have a lot of disciplines, a lot of new fighters. The organization is getting bigger and bigger. A lot of things that were just a dream are coming true. Yes, I want to be busy. Right now, I’m really focused on my trilogy match. Our U.S. debut, I’m really excited. But as a fighter and athlete, I really want to be busy and fight more."

Aside from MMA, ONE now also offers quality kickboxing, Muay Thai, and, more recently, submission grappling matches, which have been well received.

ONE is also set to hold its first-ever on-ground live event in the United States on May 5 at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video in Colorado, which Adriano Moraes is part of.

Since making his promotional debut back in 2013, Adriano Moraes has consistently been a force to be reckoned with in the flyweight division, winning 10 of his 14 fights, with a finishing rate of 70%.