Anatoly Malykhin eyes dream heavyweight fight with Francis Ngannou: ”It’s possible”

Two-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin is ready to throw his hat in the ring in the conversation for the greatest heavyweight MMA fighter in the world.

So much so, that he wants to take on who many perceive as the best heavyweight on the planet right now, Francis Ngannou.

After annihilating Arjan Bhullar to unify the heavyweight belts at ONE Friday Fights 22 last weekend, Malykhin once again entertained questions about ‘The Predator’.

Speaking with Nic Atkin of The South China Morning Post a day after the event, the undefeated Russian reiterated his desire to test himself with the fearsome Ngannou:

“I cannot tell, but I’m ready. If he’s ready to fight me here and Chatri [Sityodtong] already told me it’s possible.”

As much as we would all love to witness this gargantuan match-up unfold, it’s quite highly unlikely, to be frank.

Unless ONE Championship and the Professional Fighters League (PFL) can come to a cross-promotion agreement, then this might just be an unattainable pipe dream at the moment.

Truth be told, a Malykhin-Ngannou clash could have been a reality, but the Cameroonian-French star and the Singapore-based promotion did not come to terms during his highly-publicized free agency earlier this year.

Given his status as one of the hottest commodities in MMA right now, everybody wants a piece of Ngannou.

But if there’s one fighter who’s deserving to take on Ngannou, it’s definitely the reigning ONE heavyweight and light heavyweight world champion.

Malykhin has remained unblemished in 13 career bouts, with the last five matches taking place against world-class competition inside the Circle.

Moreover, the Russian destroyer boasts a staggering 100 percent finishing rate, a feat that even Ngannou couldn’t pull off.

Check out the replay of Malykhin’s beatdown over Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 and see just how sensational ‘Sladkiy’ is. The entire event is available on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel.

Here's Anatoly Malykhin's full interview with SCMP MMA: