Issue 199

September 2023

While Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou debate which of them is the "Baddest Man on the Planet," another contender for the moniker has emerged over in ONE Championship, writes Simon Head.

The discussion on the identity of the "Baddest Man on the Planet" is always an interesting one. For decades, that moniker was reserved for boxing's heavyweight champion of the world. But in the modern era of "alphabet titles" and fighters who seem keener on avoiding unification fights than pursuing them, that's become a tougher sell.

Enter mixed martial arts, where the all-encompassing nature of fighting lends significant weight to the argument that that oft-used label should be attached to the best heavyweight in MMA. But, who actually is the best heavyweight in MMA right now?

Jon Jones is one of the greatest fighters of all time, but does one quickfire win over a lackluster Ciryl Gane prove him as the best heavyweight on the planet in 2023? Francis Ngannou left the UFC as their heavyweight champion, but now finds himself with a great contract, but no opposition, with his fighting legacy very much on pause. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, ONE Championship has a heavyweight champion whose name deserves to be in that same conversation – Anatoly Malykhin.

The 35-year-old Russian has exploded onto the world stage since joining ONE Championship in 2021. In his five-fight run with the promotion to date, he has won three title fights, picking up the interim heavyweight title in his third bout, then knocking out Reinier De Ridder to win the light heavyweight (225-pound) title. Most recently, he dismantled heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar in three rounds to unify the heavyweight title and stand as an undisputed two-division champion.

Malykhin's His record stands at 13 fights, 13 wins, no defeats, with all 13 wins coming inside the distance – nine by knockout and four by submission. His win over Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 was the longest fight of his career, at 12 minutes, 42 seconds. In short, Malykhin is a problem.

Alongside his well-rounded skillset, fight IQ and solid gas tank, Malykhin has proved to be an engaging personality between fights, too. The Russian is one of the most popular characters on the ONE roster, and his rise to the top of the promotion has been a remarkable one. Here, we look back at his journey to the top of the world.

Interim glory

Malykhin's first two appearances for one were short and to the point. A first-round demolition of Alexandre Machado at the aptly-named ONE: Fists of Fury 2 announced his arrival as a contender in ONE's heavyweight division. 

Machado had claimed knockout wins over Alain Ngalani and Hideki Sekine in prior heavyweight bouts, but he had no answer to Malykhin, who needed less than a round to stop the Brazilian and make a big statement on his promotional debut.

That win then saw him booked against Iranian powerhouse Amir Aliakbari in a bout between two of ONE's most prominent heavyweight newcomers. But it was Malykhin who held the upper hand as he finished Aliakbari in less than three minutes. The bout earned him a shot at the interim heavyweight title against undefeated Belarusian contender Kirill Grishenko, who had already disposed of hulking Senegalese wrestler Oumar "Reug Reug" Kane and Canadian Dustin Joynson en route to his shot at the gold.

The bout was expected to provide Malykhin with the toughest test of his career, but "Sladkiy" rose to the occasion to capture the interim crown. Despite conceding height and reach to Grishenko, Malykhin comprehensively outboxed his opponent on the feet, and used his wrestling to good effect to take his man off the feet and down to the mat.

We also saw Malykhin's relentless pace and forward pressure, as he kept on moving forward, throwing hard, accurate punches as he overwhelmed Grishenko with pressure, volume, and power before eventually knocking him out with a massive leaping right hook. It meant that ONE had a new heavyweight star on their hands. 

For Malykhin, it was a watershed moment in his career, as he explained after his victory.

"It changed my life financially. I got good pay, plus a bonus from Chatri (Sityodtong, ONE CEO)," he said.

"I’ve been dreaming of becoming ONE world champion. I trained a lot. My family put a lot of effort into it, and my dream came true.

"Chatri said that it’s only the beginning. There were many people back home who supported me, sent me messages, and my close relatives are very happy. Life has got better and I am ready to reach for new heights."

After his victory, Malykhin took his family to the north of Thailand to relax before heading back to Phuket, where he continued sharpening his skills at the famed Tiger Muay Thai gym ahead of a planned heavyweight title unification bout with Arjan Bhullar.

At the time, Malykhin doubted whether the fight with Bhullar would ever take place, but he vowed that if it did, "it will be a very quick fight."

"He has nothing to show against me," he said at the time.

"He is short, with short arms and legs. He is a fighter in a different class."

He also showed some of the cheeky sense of humor that would make him a hit with ONE's fans, when he said, "He is not a bad fighter – just not an outstanding one. If we were to fight, and the fans wanted the bout to go a bit longer, I could try and not KO him in the first round. But you really have to let me know in advance!"

Champ champ

All roads appeared to be leading to a bout with Bhullar, but Malykhin also had his sights set on another champion, ONE light heavyweight and middleweight champ Reinier De Ridder, with "Sladkiy" eyeing "The Dutch Knight's" 225-pound light heavyweight title.

"I am the king of the heavyweight division. After I beat Arjan, I can go a weight class below, as I am a small heavyweight, and take the belt from (De Ridder)," he said.

"Then, if he wants – but after meeting me, he won’t – he can go up to the heavyweight division. I will wait for him. I will look good with two belts! 

"There has never been any disrespect from me when it comes to De Ridder, but he doesn’t surprise me with anything. I know his strengths – endurance and a strong ground game, but he just doesn’t understand my level of fighting, and that’s his weak point. He thinks he can take me down, but he won’t succeed. 

"And if I hit him the way he hit Vitaly (Bigdash), he’s unlikely to remember anything about his jiu-jitsu skills. Maybe later after the knockout, when his team tries to bring him back to life, he might remember that he is a black belt in jiu-jitsu. But overall, he is not a bad fighter. He has a record of 16-0, which is impressive. He is a jiu-jitsu fighter, but this is MMA – let’s see how he adjusts."

The groundwork was set and, with Bhullar out of circulation, ONE booked De Ridder vs. Malykin for the ONE light heavyweight title at ONE on Prime Video 5 in Manila. It was a bout that would answer a host of questions. How would Malykhin look after a weight cut? Would he still carry the same power and gas tank at a lower weight class? And how would he cope against De Ridder's smothering jiu-jitsu attack?

If those questions were a test for Malykhin, he passed with flying colors.

In a bout that pitted De Ridder's dominant grappling against Malykhin's pressure and power, it was the Russian who prevailed in emphatic fashion as he stuffed De Ridder's takedowns, then bludgeoned the Dutchman with punches before knocking him out with a huge right hand to become a two-division champion.

"I just want to thank my opponent, because I was getting ready for this fight really hard," he said after his victory.

"He’s one of the best fighters on the planet, so I want to thank him for making this fight happen.

"I’m going to put on a show every time I come to the cage — I’m ready for anyone. I’m going to take on everyone, and I’m going to win, so get ready for me.”

"I trained with one of the best fighters in the world who competed at freestyle wrestling in the Olympics. I believe nobody can take me down, because that’s what I’m training for every day.

"De Ridder said that he dreamed of having three belts. His dream didn’t happen, so I’m here to make my dream happen and have three or four belts. As I said earlier, I’m coming for all the belts, so everybody should watch out, and be careful!"

From interim to undisputed

With the interim heavyweight title over one shoulder, and the undisputed light heavyweight belt over the other, Malykhin's next target was clear, and the long-awaited heavyweight title unification bout with Bhullar was finally confirmed for ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023.

With his contract to face Bhullar signed and sealed, Malykhin said he was ready to take up the mantle of ONE heavyweight champion.

"I felt certainty that I will become the absolute ONE heavyweight world champion, which I believe I am already. However, there was a small technicality left – this fight with Bhullar," he said. 

"I was glad to see his name on the contract when I got sent it. He’s already signed contracts three or four times and never showed up to a fight. Therefore, we will see what happens this time. The important thing is that he makes an effort to get himself right to the ring.

"I believe that a man who doesn’t fight and who has been holding up the whole division for over two years is not a champion. He should not be fighting in any league at all.

"Overall, it doesn’t matter to me what name is on the contract – be it Bhullar or 'Buchecha.' (Brazilian grappling ace Marcos Almeida). I am happy to fight against any opponent, happy to be given another chance to show the audience my skills. I hope this time the fight will happen."

And the big Russian made a big prediction for the fight, claiming that Bhullar had "no chance at all" in the matchup.

"I’ll just knock him out. He’ll last until the second round at the most. There is no chance for him to last for five rounds," he said.

"I always aim for a knockout. I always try to be faster than my opponents and give a good show. I have to give it my all so that the audience enjoys those moments. 

"My fight with Bhullar is worth watching simply because I will be knocking him out. Everyone loves knockouts, when big boys fall down – beautiful!"

When fight night arrived, Malykhin produced arguably his most impressive performance to date, as he produced a blistering display to completely dismantle Bhullar over three rounds to capture the unified ONE heavyweight title at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

The fight showed Malykhin at his best, pushing a relentless pace as he peppered Bhullar with punches from bell to bell through the first two rounds, gradually loading up on his shots as he went from the first round to the second. By the end of Round 2, Bhullar looked broken and beaten, and early in Round 3, the champion had even rolled out of the ring to stem the tide of punishment heading his way from the big Russian. The finish was inevitable, and Malykhin eventually earned the stoppage via ground and pound mid-way through the third round. 

"I must give him some credit. He turned out to be a tough fighter and a tough guy. I just couldn’t beat him in the first round," said Malykhin after the fight.

"I knew I was going to win, and I set out to give my best in every round, to put on a spectacular fight. I’m glad he made it to the middle of the third round, that I could continue beating him for longer. I’m glad he didn’t go down immediately.

"His torso, I think, is his weak point. He always protects his head well, so I worked more on his body in my calm and relaxed style, that’s it. I waited for the body shots to do their job. And then, when he was exhausted, I just hammered him. I cooked the chicken in the oven. Roasted it."

A family affair

Malykhin's journey to the top has been taken alongside his wife, Anita, who has been an integral part of his career. The pair recently opened a gym, the Dobrynya Martial Arts Academy, in Phuket, Thailand, where he hopes they can give more athletes the opportunity to follow in his footsteps by becoming a champion.

"We opened this gym to build a bridge between Asia and Siberia, Russia," he explained.

"We want athletes from different parts of Russia and their coaches to come here to Phuket to learn from each other, learn from foreign fighters, and teach them so that everyone can improve.

"I do have ambitions as a coach. I see myself coaching after I’ve finished my fighting career. The gym was also opened as a base for our team – ONE Chance. Our fighters can train here. Champions will be made here. They will give the audience great shows. They will impress the public and get big contracts."

Malykhin was also gushing in his praise of his wife as he revealed how important her influence has been on his career to date.

"I credit all of my success to her," he said.

"My calmness, my confidence - all thanks to her. My wife believes in me more than I do. Even I have bad thoughts and hesitations before a fight, but she has no such thing. So, six years flew by like one day, and I believe that we still have many, many long years ahead of us."

He also revealed that his wife is the reason why his fighting moniker is Sladkiy (which translates to English as "sweetie").

“My lovely wife always calls me 'sweetie,'" he said.

"And when she became my manager, she said, 'I only have one condition: You will be my 'sweetie, and in fights, you will be 'Sweetie'.

"My wife is the one person that believes in me more than I believe in myself,” he continued. 

"I had moments in my life where nobody believed in me. When I began talking to my love, I really had no belief in myself. I had a pretty rough past where people would do me dirty, those very close to me, and I (considered quitting the) sport maybe three or four times. 

"When I met my wife, it was as if there was a new surge of energy. I’ve never felt such newfound drive, ever. Because of that, for my family – I have a son now – I just want them to have everything. 

"I want to give my son a life that I never had, so he can get a good education, so there is always delicious food on the table, so my wife can wear beautiful clothes, so she is taken care of, so she can drive nice cars. 

"I’m so grateful for her. I love her an immeasurable amount."

The future...

Malykhin now stands on top of the world as ONE's undisputed champion at both heavyweight and light heavyweight, and has inserted himself into the "world's best heavyweight" discussion. 

The three top names all have valid cases for the crown. Jones is technically brilliant. Ngannou possesses crushing punch power. But Malykhin might just be the most well-rounded of the trio. Knockout power, with good wrestling and proven cardio. Could "Sladkiy" be the "Baddest Man on the Planet?" He certainly thinks so.

"I would like to meet Francis Ngannou, of course, to see what he's capable of, if he's as strong as everyone thinks he is," he said, before offering a typically cheeky, confident prediction for a potential matchup with "The Predator."

"I don't think he would pass my test."

That's a test the world of MMA would love to witness.