Anatoly Malykhin looking forward to winning the "real" world title in battle against Kirill Grishenko - "Let’s forget about Arjan"

Anatoly Malykhin and Kirill Grishenko will battle it out for the ONE interim heavyweight world title at ONE: Bad Blood on February 11. For Malykhin, the “interim” tag may not be necessary as he believes this fight will determine the "real champion."

In a recent interview, Malykhin claimed that current titleholder Arjan Bhullar should not be considered the champion anymore. He said:

“I don’t consider this belt interim. I will be the real champion. If the champion refuses to fight, then he is no longer the champion.”

‘Sladiky’ was originally rumored to be fighting for the undisputed world title and slammed Bhullar after their fight fell through. The Russian added:

“I was already at my peak. I was ready to destroy him for the ONE Championship belt. I think that somewhere, mentally, this fear of being destroyed was passed to him. And at some point, he just broke. He doesn’t want to fight. He is not a fighter. He is a professional, he has a decent record, but he is not a fighter. He is not ready to fight the best. And currently, I’m the best. He is just a chicken. This is all I can say about him.”

Anatoly Malykhin has promised to back up his words when he steps into the Circle at ONE: Bad Blood. He went on to say that Bhullar's legacy as the ONE heavyweight champion is "already in the trash bin of history." He said:

“When I’m in the Circle, I will show what I’m capable of. I will stage an eye-catching fight, I’m sure of that. Many will enjoy it. In the end, I will become a champion and rule the division for a long, long time. Let’s forget about Arjan – he’s already in the trash bin of history. Soon, we will have a new champion.”

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Anatoly Malykhin is training in Phuket, Thailand, ahead of ONE: Bad Blood

The clash between Anatoly Malykhin and Kirill Grishenko was originally scheduled to headline the recently concluded ONE: Only the Brave but has since been moved to ONE: Bad Blood.

Malykhin has been busy training for the bout in Phuket, Thailand, where he has spent most of 2021 in preparation for his matches in ONE Championship. He recently shared a video of himself having fun on one of the island's beaches.

It’s a formula that has worked for him so far, as his first two bouts in the promotion ended in first-round knockouts. Now we're waiting to see if he can extend his undefeated run and his knockout streak at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on February 11.