"A man like everybody else. He's beatable" - Odie Delaney on ONE heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar

Odie Delaney has made a strong impression since arriving in ONE Championship. The big Alaskan submitted Thomas Narmo in the first round in February and announced himself as a new threat in the heavyweight division. The win took his record to 3-0 with all three victories coming via stoppage.

It was the same in his amateur career. All finishes. 'The Witness' will face Mehdi Barghi in his sophomore outing at ONE: 158 Tawanchai vs. Larsen in just over a week's time.

With another big victory, the 32-year-old could find himself mixing it with the title contenders. Arjan Bhullar holds the belt and the champ is on a four-fight winning streak, with two of those coming in the UFC Octagon and the other pair since he arrived in ONE. His last fight was in 2021, with Anatoly Malykhin being crowned interim champion in the meantime.

There is a sense that opponents have been put off by Bhullar's heir of invincibility, but Odie Delaney knows that he's fallible.

Speaking in an interview with SCMP MMA, he assessed the champion by saying:

"A wrestler. Big powerful guy. I think a lot of people are beat before they even step into the cage with him. And that's been the problem. I think there's an intimidation factor. He's a big guy. Very explosive power. When I get there - if he's still up there, which I don't know."

Odie Delaney then went on to say:

"I'm looking at some other names that are probably going to take that throne before I even get to that point. If he's still there that's not a problem. I don't feart any of these people. His opponents always fight scared. He's a man like everybody else. He's beatable."

Bhullar has certainly earned his fearsome reputation. In 11 pro fights, he's lost just one, and that came against Adam Wieczorek, who submitted the would-be ONE Champ in the first round in 2018.

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Odie Delaney believes he's a better grappler than Barghi

Barghi has only fought once in ONE Championship and came up short against KO artist Kang Ji Won. He came into The Circle on the back of a submission victory and boasts a 4-3 record. The American has been studying his opponent carefully and believes that he'll come up trumps against the Iranian both on the ground and on the feet.

"I've studied all of his film ad nauseam. He really does rely on his wrestling. I believe I'm better at his strength. I'm a wrestler. And I think my wrestling is going to outdo his wrestling. I'm a grappler. I've [also] introduced a ton of high-level JiuJitsu into my grappling game. On the feet I'm a lot longer and taller than he is and I'm not going to back up scared like some of his other opponents," Odie Delaney explained.

With Marcus Buchecha also fighting on the card and boasting a similar record with two wins and two straight finishes, the Brazilian could be a natural fit in terms of next opponents. One thing's for sure — if Odie Delaney keeps up the form he's shown so far — he'll soon be linked with the biggest names at heavyweight.