Anatoly Malykhin admits he’s in his "best shape" as world title unification battle draws near

Two-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin has been preparing for his next contest for a long time.

Through his unstoppable run in ONE Championship thus far, the Russian powerhouse has finished all four of his opponents inside the Circle.

With ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar out of action since claiming his belt against Brandon Vera in 2021, Malykhin became the interim champion to secure a fight with Bhullar once the divisional king returns.

After his comeback was even further delayed, the Russian turned his attention to securing a second world championship, defeating Reiner de Ridder at ONE on Prime Video 5 last year to claim the light heavyweight title.

Whilst he has already accomplished great things inside the Circle, the fight that Malykhin has been chasing down is finally on the horizon. At ONE Friday Fights 22, inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on June 23, one true heavyweight champion will be crowned.

Looking to put an end to Bhullar’s controversial title reign and make him pay for all of his trash talking, Anatoly Malykhin has been working hard to make sure there is no doubt who the best heavyweight in the division is once the two finally meet inside the Circle.

While in attendance at ONE Fight Night 11 in Bangkok, Thailand, last week, Malykhin spoke about his preparations for ONE Friday Fights 22 in an interview with the South China Morning Post on YouTube:

“Yeah. I'm in my best shape. I’m ready, I'm hungry. Every day is hard work, every day.”

Watch the full interview below:

Fans can catch their world title unification bout at ONE Friday Fights 22 live and for free on ONE Championship’s official YouTube account.