Reinier de Ridder says Arjan Bhullar’s limited offensive arsenal could be a problem against Anatoly Malykhin

Reinier de Ridder shared his candid thoughts on Arjan Bhullar’s limited skill set ahead of his return at ONE Friday Fight 22.

Bhullar is set for a return more than two years removed from his ONE world title-winning appearance against Brandon Vera at ONE: Dangal. Still toting around his 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold, Arjan Bhullar is finally ready to put the crown on the line and prove that he is the one true heavyweight king.

Standing in his way will be Russian knockout artist Anatoly Malykhin. Skyrocketing to the top in 2022 amid Bhullar’s absence, ‘Sladkiy’ captured both the interim ONE heavyweight and light heavyweight world titles in the span of 10 months, making him a logical choice for 2022 ONE Championship’s Fighter of the Year, much to the chagrin of Arjan Bhullar.

If you ask Bhullar, Anatoly Malykhin is seemingly the most untested one-dimensional fighter in all of mixed martial arts. His record certainly begs to differ, as does Malykhin’s former foe, Reinier de Ridder. Speaking with the South China Morning Post, ‘The Dutch Knight’ didn’t mince words when asked about his opinion on Bhullar’s equally questionable skill set.

“Bhullar, to be honest, doesn't have that many weapons either,” de Ridder said. “Have you ever seen him throw a kick?”

Whether or not you are impressed with the skills of either fighter, they have both risen to the top of their division in impressive fashion. But only one can be the undisputed ONE heavyweight world champion. Will Anatoly Malykhin continue his meteoric rise, or will Arjan Bhullar resume his reign as one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the world today?

Fans in North America can catch all the action at ONE Friday Fights 22 live and for free on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel on June 23.