Amir Aliakbari says he can beat Anatoly Malykhin in his current form

Amir Aliakbari has truly changed his fortunes in ONE Championship.

The former UWW Greco-Roman Wrestling world champion is on a strong run of form and recently brought his winning streak to three straight matches at ONE Fight Night 12.

Aliakbari overwhelmed Dustin Joynson and forced the Canadian big man to submit due to brutal ground-and-pound in the opening round. Following his win, Aliakbari got into an altercation with ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin during his in-ring interview.

Not one to take things likely, the Iranian juggernaut proclaimed in his post-fight press conference that Malykhin is next in his seemingly unstoppable rampage.

Aliakbari said about his former foe:

“And I think with the kind of, let's say victory that I got today. I think he will be the one who will be defeated next time.”

The 35-year-old was one of the most hyped heavyweight stars when he made his ONE Championship debut in March 2021. Aliakbari, however, ran into the hammer-sized fists of South Korean mauler Kang Ji Won at ONE: Fists of Fury in Singapore.

He then lost his second match in ONE Championship when Malykhin ran him over at ONE: Revolution in September 2021. Despite his early struggles, Aliakbari found his rhythm and chalked up three straight finishes.

Aliakbari released his pent-up frustration against former ONE heavyweight world title contender Mauro Cerilli for the second-round knockout at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022.

A few months after his KO win against Cerilli, Aliakbari scored the biggest victory of his career when he stopped former ONE heavyweight world champion Brandon Vera at ONE 164 in December 2022.

Aliakbari then continued his maniacal march when he dominated Joynson for the rarely-seen submission win due to strikes.

Watch Aliakbari's entire interview below: