ONE Championship's Kirill Grishenko lets his game do the talking heading into interim heavyweight title fight with Anatoly Malykhin

Kirill Grishenko is not letting the pressure of fighting Anatoly Malykhin get to his head before ONE Championship: Bad Blood kicks off next Friday, February 11.

In an interview with ONE, the undefeated Belarusian seemed content with letting his game do the talking against the likewise unbeaten Malykhin:

“If I’m given a chance, I’ll try to take it. It doesn’t matter what people say. I know how hard I’ve worked and what I’ve gone through. I fully deserve this chance. I think we’ll find it out on the [11th], whether he’ll surprise me with his speed and knock me out. Just wait for that day. It’s all I can say. I just don’t like to talk. I like to do.”

In stark contrast to Grishenko's approach, Malykhin has not been shy about broadcasting his thoughts for the world to see.

In previous interviews with ONE Championship, the Russian behemoth has said that fighters nowadays need to "speak well and be multi-dimensional". He has also publicly slammed the inactivity of current heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar and verbally dumped him "in the trash bin of history".

Of course, Grishenko has also done his part in hyping the fight up. However, he has taken a tamer tone compared to Malykhin's sharp vocal barbs:

“I’ve trained for him seriously and will be ready for all five rounds with him. I don’t have any doubts, I believe in myself, and I’ll go to the end.”

Regardless of their contrasting personalities, Grishenko and Malykhin are similar where it matters most – inside the Circle. Both are undefeated warriors who cannot afford to lose, and they are hungry to be the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Tune in to ONE: Bad Blood to see how this hard-hitting co-main event unfolds.

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ONE Championship's Kirill Grishenko accepts underdog tag before interim heavyweight title fight with Anatoly Malykhin

Even Kirill Grishenko himself did not expect his quick rise to title contention in ONE Championship. However, the 30-year-old brawler is not fazed by the notion that people might already be counting him out against Anatoly Malykhin. He told the promotion:

“I’ve been called an underdog in each of my fights, but it’s cool for me. I like to prove the opposite, not just to the audience, but to myself.”

After all, a 5-0 professional record is nothing to scoff at. Malykhin and fight fans know this, no matter where Grishenko was in the rankings originally.

In combat sports, people always need to expect the unexpected. This Grishenko-Malykhin match for the interim heavyweight belt will be no different.