"Frame is a little bit small for heavyweight" - Odie Delaney on Mehdi Barghi clash at ONE 158

Odie Delaney and Mehdi Barghi are getting ready for their heavyweight clash at ONE 158 on June 3. 'The Witness' is undefeated in his run thus far in ONE Championship and will be looking to extend his win streak this Friday.

Ahead of the fight, Delaney sat down with Dylan Bowker of Sportskeeda MMA. During the interaction, Delaney was complimentary and respectful of his opponent, but added that he thinks size will be a major factor.

"I think he has a very strong left hand and he is very explosive, very athletic. I think he's in the wrong class if I'm being honest. I think that he is a light heavyweight. I think his frame is a little bit small for heavyweight. "

Delaney will be stepping into this fight at 6'4"/193cm, while his opponent has a recorded height of 6'0"/183cm. Regardless of size, the American heavyweight says that he has trained for this fight like it's the biggest match of his life.

"But this entire camp I've treated him like he's the best fighter in the world, that's how I've prepared. That's how I'll always prepare. I'll always prepare like the next fight is the biggest fight of my life, because it is... I've treated him in my camp with the utmost respect and that's all going to show when I get in the cage and fight him."

Catch our interview with Delaney below:

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Odie Delaney on ONE heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar

While Delaney has a must-win fight at ONE 158, he is still looking ahead to facing reigning ONE heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar down the line.

Bhullar is a Canadian Olympic wrestler who won the ONE heavyweight gold when he defeated Brandon Vera via TKO.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, Delaney gave a breakdown of how a potential clash with Bhullar would play out, 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."

Catch the interview below:

Odie Delaney also suggested that Bhullar is unlikely to be champion by the time he reaches that pinnacle. Interim titleholder Anatoly Malykhin will likely face Bhullar later this year, plus Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend 'Buchecha' Marcus Almeida is trying to position himself for a title shot in the near future.

The ONE Championship division is starting to build some exciting momentum and both 'Buchecha' and Odie Delaney will be competing at ONE 158 this Friday.