Anatoly Malykhin wants two titanic matches against Francis Ngannou in MMA and boxing

Anatoly Malykhin wants to claim undisputed status as the baddest man on the planet.

The ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight world champion is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, yet he also wants to see just how fearsome Francis Ngannou is.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Malykhin said he wants to face Ngannou not just in mixed martial arts but also in boxing.

Malykhin said:

“Of course, first I would like to fight Ngannou under MMA rules, as it's my game. I would also like to fight Ngannou under boxing rules, as my striking is at a good level for an MMA fighter.”

Ngannou was the most-prized free agent this year when he left the UFC as the promotion’s heavyweight world champion.

Although Ngannou has found another MMA organization to be part of, a potential match or two against Malykhin is a compelling attraction. Both fighters have the heaviest hands in the sport, but Malykhin has proven that he’s more than just a puncher.

Malykhin is a perfect 13-0 with all of his wins coming by way of either knockout or submission. The Russian superstar has three submissions and nine KOs to his name.

Though he’s a natural wrestler, Malykhin’s perfect 5-0 run in ONE Championship saw him practically decapitate all of his opponents. Malykhin has used his grappling base to weave about the circle before launching his sledgehammer fists down his opponents’ domes.

His world title unification bout against rival Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 was a showcase of just how deceptively quick Malykhin is. ‘Sladkiy’ was a master in controlling the tempo and he had Bhullar where he needed to be.

Malykhin, despite nursing a bum leg, dominated Bhullar in every stage of the bout before he ultimately ended the bout with unstoppable ground-and-pound in the third to become the ONE undisputed heavyweight world champion.