Two-division ONE champion Anatoly Malykhin told Telecomasia.net in an exclusive interview that despite the departure of Reinier de Ridder, Amir Aliakbari, and other fighters, the heavyweight division has not become less competitive.
Anatoly Malykhin exclusively for Telecom Asia Sport
Kirill Grishenko recently beat Ben Tynan, who is Curtis Blaydes’ sparring partner. Recently, a Korean fighter was knocked out by a Japanese opponent. There is me, Oumar Kane, and also Shamil Erdogan. He has a fight scheduled for November 16. We do have some guys. Take any league, for example the UFC – name me the top 5, and nobody knows the others. That’s how every league stays afloat. There are ‘powerhouses’ that everyone knows , they carry the organization. There aren’t many in the UFC now, there’s a decline across various weight classes. There are guys who make noise, and then the rest. In my league it’s the same. I have enough opponents for the next two to three years.
Just to recall, in November 2024, Malykhin lost the heavyweight title to Umar Kane by split decision. The fighters will have a rematch on November 16. Malykhin’s record is 14 wins and 1 loss, while Kane has 7 wins and 1 loss.
