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Undefeated ONE heavyweight Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida believes Anatoly Malykhin is the rightful favorite in a potential ONE heavyweight world title unification bout against reigning titleholder Arjan Bhullar.
‘Buchecha’ is coming off another spectacular year in MMA, where he remains undefeated, earning two more first-round finishes. The Brazilian is already within earshot of world title contention.
Current interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin has stayed busy inside the circle, recently capturing the light heavyweight crown to become the promotion’s latest two-division champion at ONE on Prime Video 5.
Almeida believes that momentum will make the Russian juggernaut the clear favorite against Bhullar, who has not competed since winning the heavyweight belt in May 2021. In an interview with ONE Championship, ‘Buchecha’ said:
“If this fight happens, I think the time that Arjan didn't fight will count in Anatoly's favor. Anatoly is in a rhythm with much more will, and that will be a big advantage for him. He's on a really good pace, and his confidence is really high. So, if this fight happens, Anatoly will have an advantage.”
The two warriors were previously slated to square off at ONE 161 in September to unify the heavyweight crown, but Bhullar was forced to withdraw due to an injury. Bhullar subsequently confirmed that he has been cleared to return and is expected to face Malykhin to establish an undisputed ONE heavyweight world champion.
Arjan Bhullar disputes Anatoly Malykhin’s status as a two-division champion
If you ask Arjan Bhullar, Anatoly Malykhin is the king of one division, not two.
After Malykhin’s successful bid to capture the ONE light heavyweight world title from Reinier de Ridder at ONE on Prime Video 5, Bhullar quickly corrected those that called Malykhin a double-champion:
"He's [Malykhin] not a 2-weight champ...he's now the light heavyweight champ. It's easy to punch out a BJJ guy with 0 takedown ability. He did what he was supposed to. Let me do what I'm supposed to. I was told [to fight Malykhin in] March earlier this week. Still waiting on the paperwork... "
In February 2022, Malykhin defeated Kirill Grishenko to become ONE interim heavyweight world champion as Bhullar’s future with the promotion became uncertain. Two months later, Bhullar revealed that he had re-signed with ONE Championship, but as 2022 comes to a close, we still have nothing resolved atop the heavyweight division.
With Bhullar claiming to have been cleared for competition as of November 7, fans are hoping the two behemoths will agree to settle things inside the Circle during the first half of 2023.
