“The chicken run is over” - Anatoly Malykhin books Arjan Bhullar heavyweight unification fight

After months of taking verbal jabs at one another, ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar will finally meet interim heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin at ONE 161 on September 29.

First reported by Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Bhullar will step into the circle for the first time in more than a year to determine the undisputed heavyweight king of ONE Championship.

Following the announcement, interim titleholder Anatoly Malykhin posted a promotional image of the eagerly anticipated heavyweight scrap with the caption:

“The chicken run is over 🐔 full throttle with my team @raty_team 🚀”

Malykhin’s “chicken run” comment is a throwback to an Instagram post by the Russian featuring Arjan Bhullar’s head superimposed on the body of an animated chicken, which you can see here.

‘Singh’ first captured the ONE heavyweight world title in May 2021 at ONE: Dangal. He defeated former heavyweight king, Brandon Vera, via a second-round knockout. Shortly after, Arjan Bhullar opted to sit out while working with the promotion to renegotiate his contract. Meanwhile, the promotion booked Anatoly Malykhin against Kirill Grishenko for a bout at ONE: Bad Blood to crown an interim heavyweight titleholder.

Malykhin earned a second-round knockout to capture the ONE world title. In April, Bhullar confirmed that he had signed a new contract with ONE and was ready to unify the world titles. On September 29, fans will finally find out who the rightful heavyweight king of ONE Championship truly is.

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Will it be Arjan Bhullar or Anatoly Malykhin that leaves with the gold at ONE 161?

Fans will finally be treated to one of the biggest heavyweight matchups on September 29 when the two behemoths square off to determine who the true heavyweight world champion is.

Anatoly Malykhin enters the contest with an unblemished record of 11-0 and boasts a 100% finish rate, earning eight victories by knockout and three via submission. Needless to say, ‘Spartak’ is a dangerous fighter in various aspects and could very well be the favorite heading into the heavyweight showdown.

‘Singh’ will enter the bout with a record of 11-1 overall and undefeated under the ONE banner. Throughout his career, Bhullar has displayed elite-level wrestling that has secured him seven victories by decision. With four knockouts to his credit, ‘Singh’ is more than capable of putting out anyone’s lights, but historically is not a finisher like his Russian opponent.

Where Bhullar’s strength lies in the upcoming bout is his wrestling. Though ‘Singh’ may be tempted to stand and trade with Malykhin given the bad blood that has been brewing between them. No matter what the outcome is, fans can be sure that ‘Singh’ and ‘Spartak’ will put on a hell of a show come September 29.