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Reigning two-division ONE MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin recently had a crazy war of words with former and current rivals at the recently concluded ONE 166:Qatar press conference. One of the men he had a clash of words with was former foe Amir Aliakbari.
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Malykhin and Aliakbari will be present in ONE's inaugural fight card in Qatar, with the world champion hunting for a third belt and the Iranian behemoth gunning for a fourth straight win. The two faced each other back in 2021, with 'Sladkiy' violently dispatching Aliakbari via KO in the first round.
Despite not being slated to face each other on Friday, the two MMA giants exchanged words in the press conference, with Anatoly Malykhin emphatically warning his former opponent:
“I threw you on my back, once, I’m gonna do it again. Please don’t make me do it to you [again]. I’m best of the best fighter, you’re not faster, you’re not strong. Only 1-2 punch. I’m the best.”
If and when both men win their respective matches this Friday, it's a safe bet that they will cross paths yet again shortly. This time, for gold.
Anatoly Malykhin believes Bhullar-Aliakbari fight will determine what the two heavyweights are "really worth"
Amir Aliakbari's ONE 166 opponent, Arjan Bhullar, is a former ONE heavyweight MMA world champion from whom Anatoly Malykhin took his second belt. With both warriors wanting to get another shot at 'Sladkiy,' this bout may very well steal the show.
On the upcoming Bhullar-Aliakbari showdown, Malykhin told ONE:
“It's a great fight. It's a good test for both. I think they have never had an opponent at the top of their game. This fight will show what they are really worth.”
Though he might sound dismissive of Bhullar and Aliakbari, we're positive that the ONE double-champ will be keeping a watchful eye on this upcoming heavyweight collision.
ONE 166: Qatar will air free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
