Russian powerhouse and two-division ONE champion Anatoly Malykhin distanced himself from the heavyweight pack with a dominant display as he unified the heavyweight titles with a third-round TKO finish of Arjan Bhullar.
The pair faced off at ONE Friday Fights 22, where Malykhin showed the world what a tough, well-rounded threat he is as he showcased his punch power, gas tank and fight IQ to calmly, coolly, break down Bhullar over three rounds before finally claiming the TKO finish his performance deserved.
The 35-year-old's success was built off some sound MMA boxing as he peppered Bhullar with strikes throughout the matchup. But, rather than loading up for the one-shot knockout, Malykhin smartly went for volume and accuracy as he consistently found a home for his hands, going to the head and the body with a pace rarely seen in a heavyweight fight.
That striking onslaught came close to scoring a second-round finish as he had Bhullar in big trouble in the closing moments of the round, but the bell saved the interim champion and ensured the fight went into the third round – uncharted waters for the big Russian.
But, despite competing in the longest fight of his career, Malykhin looked as fresh and slick in the third round as he did in the first as he continued his relentless pace and output. This time, knowing his opponent was already hurt, Malykhin started to plant his feet and throw with more power as he loaded up in search of the finish.
Bhullar had no answer to Malykhin's offense, and even took to rolling out of the ring in an attempt to stem the tide. But that move only resulted in Bhullar receiving a yellow card from the referee. When the action resumed with the action reset to the middle of the ring, Malykhin put his foot on the gas and finished his man with ground strikes at the 2:42 mark.
The win took Malykhin to 13-0, with all 13 wins coming inside the distance, as he proved that he's one of the most dangerous heavyweights on the planet, regardless of organization.
