Arjan Bhullar questions Anatoly Malykhin’s interim champion status: “He was just a pawn”

Arjan Bhullar continued to disparage Anatoly Malykhin’s impressive rise through the ranks over the last year and a half, suggesting the Russian juggernaut is nothing more than a pawn.

Bhullar, who has sat on the sidelines for more than two years after capturing the ONE heavyweight world title, will finally make his return to defend his title for the very first time at ONE Friday Fights 22. Hoping to spoil his homecoming party will be Anatoly Malykhin, the man that has been holding down the heavyweight division in his absence as the reigning interim ONE heavyweight world titleholder.

Before looking to unify his title with that of Malykhin’s, Arjan Bhullar spoke with MMA Underground and had some choice words for his opponent, suggesting he is nothing more than a pawn dressed up to keep the division moving in his absence.

“They dressed this guy and put him out there in the meantime, and he doesn’t know that he was just a pawn in all this,” Bhullar said.

Interim titles are by no means foreign to combat sports, often introduced to keep divisions from coming to a standstill when champions neglect defending their crown for one reason or another. In this particular case, the introduction of an interim championship gave Anatoly Malykhin a path to superstardom, instantly making him one of the promotion’s top stars with his infectious personality and heavy-hitting style.

And whether Arjan Bhullar wants to admit it or not, Malykhin is a legitimate threat to his reign as the promotion’s top heavyweight dog. Fortunately, we only have a few more hours to go before we find out who truly is the ONE heavyweight world champion.

Fans in North America can catch all the action at ONE Friday Fights 22 live and for free on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel on June 23.