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ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar will finally get to face his bitter rival, ONE double-champ Anatoly 'Sladkiy' Malykhin in a unification bout at ONE Friday Fights 22 on June 23. Inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, 'Singh' will clash with the interim world champion to determine ONE's undisputed heavyweight king.
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Arjan Bhullar was away from the fight game for over two years due to injuries and other issues. The last time we saw him in action was when he won the heavyweight world title in May 2021. In Bhullar's absence, Malykhin won the interim heavyweight belt and then the light-heavyweight strap by knocking out the previously undefeated Reinier de Ridder late last year.
Since the first time he wore gold, Malykhin has been going off on the Indian-Canadian world champion on social media, calling him out with some really inventive words.
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In an interview with South China Morning Post, Bhullar spoke about his outspoken rival:
"Now, Anatoly's coming in. Let's see what he's made of. I don't think he's that guy."
Watch the full interview here:
Short and simple words from the 2010 Commonwealth Games wrestling world champion. Though he is utterly confident coming into the fight, Bhullar is not discounting Malykhin's greatness. He does, however, think that 'Sladkiy' is at his level.
Further into the interview, Arjan Bhullar also addressed the trash-talk from Malykhin that has been plaguing his social media feed for years:
"He's [Malykhin] been in my life too long. And it's about time to get him out of there. So it's been a long 18 months, but everything he's been saying. Everything his coach has been saying, everything his wife's even been saying, he's going to have to answer for that."
In the history of pro fighting, the art of trash-talk has yielded varying results for both those throwing them and receiving them. Malykhin has been very transparent of what he thinks of Arjan Bhullar and come June 23, we'll get to know if those words hold water.
ONE Friday Fights 22 is available live and for free on ONE Championship’s digital platforms as well as on its official broadcast partners.
