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Just call Anatoly Malykhin the People's Champion.
The three-division world champion has never backed out of any fight, either in the cage or on the street, but he remains adamant that a fighter he won't face is Aung La N Sang.
The Burmese legend is one of the most beloved fighters in mixed martial arts, even more so in his native Myanmar.
It's this national love from the Burmese people that Malykhin said puts him off from fighting the former ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world champion.
Anatoly Malykhin said in an interview with ONE Championship that he doesn't want to break the collective heart of Myanmar if he faces Aung La in the future.
"I like Aung La N Sang. People from his country support me so much, I have a lot of fans there and I don't want to upset them," said Anatoly Malykhin.
Aung La is one of the biggest stars in ONE Championship and his pull on the fans is nearly unmatched.
The Kill Cliff FC star has some of the heaviest hands in the promotion with 13 of his 15 ONE Championship wins coming via either knockout or submission.
The 38-year-old was at the peak of his powers from 2017 to 2020 when he held the middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world titles.
Although he has since relinquished his throne, Aung La looks as dangerous as ever with three straight wins over Japanese legend Yushin Okami, Gilberto Galvao and Fan Rong.
Anatoly Malykhin sees one challenger taking a shot at his heavyweight throne in the United States
Anatoly Malykhin doesn't have a match lined up, but a willing challenger is already aiming a shot at the reigning ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world champion.
Canadian big man Ben Tynan believes he has what it takes to challenge Malykhin for the heavyweight MMA throne, and the triple-champ seems to share the same sentiment.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Malykhin said a match against Tynan in the United States would be a great way for 'Vanilla Thunder' to put his taunts to the test.
"I'm looking to share the ring with him. I think America sounds like the perfect place to really put him to the test."
ONE Championship has two cards in the United States lined up this year.
ONE 168: Denver is the first to go down on September 6 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, while ONE 170 is set for November 8 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
