‘Buchecha’ expects slugfest between a ‘harder’ Anatoly Malykhin and more ‘technical’ Arjan Bhullar

Fans can’t wait to see reigning ONE heavyweight world champion ‘Singh’ Arjan Bhullar hash it out with ONE interim heavyweight world champion ‘Sladkiy’ Anatoly Malykhin this week in a highly anticipated world title unification bout, and you can count BJJ legend Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida among them.

The 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion has a vested interest in this showdown. After all, he could end up facing the winner in the very near future as the top contender to the division’s throne.

In a recent interview with YouTube channel, The MMA Superfan, Almeida shared his thoughts on the skills of both men and how they compare to each other.

The 32-year-old Brazilian legend said:

“They have really similar games because they are really good wrestlers and they have really good hands. So they have fast hands. I think Anatoly hits harder but Arjan is really technical.”

Almeida’s assessment of Bhullar and Malykhin appears rather accurate.

Malykhin is undefeated with a perfect 12-0 record, with all of his wins coming inside the distance for a 100 percent finishing rate. While there are a handful of submission victories on his resume, there’s no doubt the Russian mauler is adept at using his hands, as he has beaten everyone he’s faced in the Circle inside the distance.

Meanwhile, Bhullar, a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, is a highly technical wrestler and is also unbeaten in ONE Championship.

Bhullar and Malykhin will unify the ONE heavyweight world title at ONE Friday Fights 22, which takes place at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 23 on Asia primetime.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and for free on ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel.