ONE Championship news roundup (April 20, 2023)

Welcome to today's edition of the daily Sportskeeda ONE Championship News Roundup, where we present the promotion's most important stories.

Today’s issue talks about Arjan Bhullar’s confidence against Anatoly Malykhin and Francis Ngannou, what Mikey Musumeci is excited about in facing Osamah Almarwai, and Demetrious Johnson’s key takeaway from fighting Rodtang.

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#3. Arjan Bhullar says he would have no problem with Anatoly Malykhin and Francis Ngannou

ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar has yet to defend his belt, but he believes he won’t have a problem even if he faces two of the most fearsome strikers in the world.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, ‘Singh’ claimed that he will have no issues facing the likes of ONE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin or MMA free agent Francis Ngannou.

Arjan Bhullar said:

“There are levels to grappling. And even those levels to striking. I don’t get hit. I’m very good at being evasive. You see my face after every one of my fights, not touched. Everyone is saying Anatoly is a killer, they were saying that about Brandon Vera as well, and Brandon Vera has eight limbs to hit you with, Anatoly has two hands. And Francis would have two hands.”

Ngannou has been strongly linked to ONE Championship as of late, with both Bhullar and Malykhin looking forward to potentially testing their skills against ‘The Predator’ soon.

Meanwhile, Malykhin is scheduled yet again to unify the ONE heavyweight world title with Bhullar at ONE Fight Night 12 in July.

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#2. Mikey Musumeci hopes to find answers for questions Osamah Almarwai will present

Mikey Musumeci feels blessed to be doing something he loves everyday, and he’s always excited to take on new challenges in the sport.

‘Darth Rigatoni’ is scheduled to defend his ONE flyweight submission grappling world title against BJJ world champion Osamah Almarwai at ONE Fight Night 10. He famously called out Almarwai after completely dismantling sambo standout Gantumur Bayanduuren in his first world title defense.

Now tasked with facing a fellow accomplished BJJ practitioner in Almarwai, Musumeci said he’s looking forward to seeing if he can solve the new puzzle presented to him.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Mikey Musumeci said:

“I’m blessed about this every second you know and I’m just excited to see what he’s gonna bring to the match and if I’ll have the answers or not.”

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#1. Demetrious Johnson learned he could take a punch by eating a few from Rodtang

Demetrious Johnson suffered the first knockout loss of his career in 2021. He decided to follow it up by facing a Muay Thai legend in Rodtang Jitmuangnon in 2022.

The experience helped him grow stronger as he overcame Rodtang’s vaunted striking, which gave him the confidence to take on Adriano Moraes once again. Johnson returned the favor by becoming the first man to knock ‘Mikinho’ out in their rematch, and he now stands as the ONE flyweight world champion.

Demetrious Johnson joined the Kickin’ It with Liam Harrison podcast to share how the experience of fighting Rodtang helped rebuild his confidence in his durability.

Johnson said:

“With that first fight [with] Adriano, getting knocked out and then coming back to fight Rodtang -- fighting him, one of the most dangerous strikers on the feet in ONE Championship, it’s kind of like, you know I could take a shot.”