Anatoly Malykhin surprised that Amir Aliakbari could "breathe for all three rounds" at ONE 166: “He is in very good shape now”

Three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin once again took a dig at his heavyweight rival Amir Aliakbari.

The pair of hard-hitting behemoths both emerged victorious in their respective bouts at ONE 166: Qatar earlier this month.

Before collecting the middleweight MMA crown in the main event against Reinier de Ridder, Malykhin kept a close eye on Aliakbari’s battle against Arjan Bhullar.

The Iranian powerhouse went on to win his fourth straight match after ‘Singh’ was disqualified in round three for inactivity.

While impressed by Aliakbari’s improved cardiovascular endurance, the jokester Malykhin can’t help but poke fun at his likely challenger.

‘Sladkiy’ said in a ONE Championship interview:

“Amir is in very good shape now. He has good boxing, and functionally he surprises me that he can breathe for all three rounds. I can’t wait for this fight. I think the audience is waiting for it too, so let’s go.”

Since losing to Malykhin via a brutal knockout in 2021, the monstrous Aliakbari has taken out everyone in his path in the hopes of setting up a rematch with the Russian destroyer.

While nothing is set in stone yet, the AAA Team standout may soon get his wish. Anatoly Malykhin already claimed he’ll return to heavyweight for his next match.

The much-improved Aliakbari certainly can’t wait for his shot at redemption and 26 pounds of gold.

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Anatoly Malykhin teases transition to boxing

After an unprecedented three-division MMA supremacy, Anatoly Malykhin wants to continue scaling greater heights.

The 36-year-old headhunter is eager to test if the nuclear power on his fists will translate against the best boxers in the world.

“I want to make more history,” Malykhin said in a Sports Illustrated interview. “My next big goal is to get a big win in boxing.”