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ONE heavyweight contender Amir Aliakbari has been yearning for a rematch with two-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin. Turns out, patience is not his strongest suit.
The Iranian bruiser took on ‘Sladkiy’ at ONE: Revolution in 2021 and suffered a stinging knockout defeat in round 1 against the heavy-handed Russian.
The much-improved Aliakbari has gone on a rampage since that fateful day, extending his winning streak to three by decimating Dustin Joynson at ONE Fight Night 12 at Lumpinee Stadium last Saturday.
Shortly after his third straight TKO victory, Amir Aliakbari boldly called out Malykhin, who was in the arena to support his fellow Russians. As a result, there was a heated commotion between two behemoths, who almost came to blows right there and then.
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In his post-fight interview with the South China Morning Post, Aliakbari said he earned himself a do-over with Malykhin and admitted his patience is running low:
“I think this fight will need to happen as soon as possible. Because I am impatiently waiting for him," said Aliakbari.
Judging by Amir Aliakbari’s last three bouts, it appears he’s not the same fighter who got blasted by Malykhin almost two years ago.
For one, the 35-year-old is no longer just throwing haymakers in the wind and is finally using his world-class wrestling to his advantage.
Aliakbari took Mauro Cerilli and Brandon Vera to deep waters, blasting them with unforgiving ground and pound.
He did the same to the helpless Joynson, who was forced to tap to strikes or risk getting his face permanently rearranged.
Meanwhile, Malykhin has also gotten even better since their last encounter. He is now the proud owner of two gold belts in the heavyweight and light heavyweight ranks.
As we await the rematch of these two titans, we can relive Amir Aliakbari’s huge victory at ONE Fight Night 12. The replay is available free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Watch Aliakbari's full interview:
