Chatri Sityodtong on Anatoly Malykhin’s case as pound-for-pound best heavyweight: “He’s a deadly athlete”

ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong believes Anatoly Malykhin is pound-for-pound the best heavyweight fighter in the world right now.

The ONE executive cited the steady dominance ‘Sladkiy’ has shown since his days as a member of the Russian national wrestling team, which has continued to date in the circle, where he is a double ONE mixed martial arts world champion.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post following ONE Friday Fights 22 last month, Chatri Sityodtong underscored how consistently formidable Anatoly Malykhin has been, making him truly stand out from the rest.

He said:

“[Malykhin] was a national wrestler in Russia as well on the national team. So he's a deadly, deadly athlete. Truly pound for pound great. I just believe he's the best heavyweight.”

Watch the interview below:

Anatoly Malykhin extended his undefeated professional MMA record to 13-0, the last five wins of which came in ONE, at ONE Friday Fights 22 on June 23 in Bangkok.

He steamrolled over former heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar by sending the Indian-Canadian to a third-round technical knockout (punches) defeat to unify the championship belts in the division.

‘Sladkiy’ dominated ‘Singh’ Bhullar right from the get-go, throwing telling hits that eventually took a toll. The end came when Anatoly Malykhin had Arjan Bhullar pinned on the ground and pummeled with a barrage of punches, prompting the referee to call a stop to the contest at the 2:42 mark of the third canto.

By becoming the undisputed ONE heavyweight world champion, Malykhin became a bona-fide double ONE world champion as he is also the reigning light heavyweight king.

Replay of ONE Friday Fights 22 is available on ONE Championship’s YouTube page.