Amir Aliakbari open to fight against former heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar

Amir Aliakbari wants nothing more than to get a shot at Anatoly Malykhin and the ONE heavyweight world title, but he won’t mind fighting the man who once held that prestigious belt.

The Iranian brawler is coming off a first-round submission win over Dustin Joynson this past weekend at ONE Fight Night 12 in Bangkok. After forcing Joynson to tap due to strikes, Aliakbari sets his sights on the top of the heavyweight division.

In an interview with South China Morning Post, Aliakbari said that his priority is to challenge Malykhin for the heavyweight throne. Nevertheless, he’s not ruling out a possible matchup against Arjan Bhullar.

Aliakbari said:

"[Arjan Bhullar] does not want to show his real presence in there. So I will be waiting for him and see what he will do. So that's it.”

Bhullar, just like Aliakbari, is a formidable grappler and he’s used that wrestling-heavy offense to carve out an impressive 11-2 professional record.

‘Singh’ also became the ONE heavyweight world champion when he dethroned longtime heavyweight king Brandon Vera at ONE: Dangal in May 2021.

Although Bhullar lost his world title unification match to Malykhin, he remains a credible name in the tough heavyweight division.

This match, however, will still rely on several factors. Malykhin expressed his desire to square up against Aliakbari for a second time, but he’s also vocal about his wish to become the first three-division world champion in MMA history.

If Malykhin, who holds both the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight world title, pursues his dream of capturing middleweight gold, then it’s plausible that Aliakbari could take on Bhullar in his next outing.