Reinier de Ridder thinks Arjan Bhullar is at a disadvantage in one area against Anatoly Malykhin

ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder believes Arjan Bhullar could be at a disadvantage against Anatoly Malykhin in their world title unification bout.

Bhullar, the ONE heavyweight world champion, and Malykhin, the ONE light heavyweight and interim heavyweight world champion, are set for a titanic clash at ONE Friday Fights 22 this Friday at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, de Ridder stated Bhullar’s lengthy absence from competition could play a factor in the unification bout for the ONE undisputed heavyweight world title.

De Ridder said:

"He's been out for a long time. So we can't really say where he's at. We don't know where he's at. When was his last fight? Two years ago, maybe? So that's crazy to be out for that long of a time.”

Bhullar hasn’t fought in the circle since taking the ONE heavyweight world title from Brandon Vera in May 2021. Injuries, a long recovery period, and other outside factors have prevented Bhullar from defending the gold.

In his absence, Malykhin rose through the ranks with devastating power and ultimately grabbed hold of the ONE interim heavyweight world title at the expense of Kirill Grishenko in February 2022.

Malykhin then added the ONE light heavyweight world title to his cabinet when he knocked de Ridder out in the opening round of their bout at ONE on Prime Video 5.

It’s unclear if Bhullar will suffer from ring rust this Friday in Bangkok, but that will ultimately be answered when he gets his shots in against Malykhin.

Watch de Ridder's interview below: