Amir Aliakbari called for a shot at the ONE Heavyweight World Title following his win at ONE Fight Night 12 this past weekend, and divisional king Anatoly Malykhin made it physically known that he was listening. Aliakbari put on a dominant performance inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, July 14, forcing Dustin Joynson to tap to his strikes in the first round of their tussle. 

The Iranian giant pinned Joynson to the mats in a crucifix position and dropped heavy punches and elbows to his foe’s unguarded head.

Amir Aliakbari almost came to blows with his next opponent Anatoly Malykhin

Sensing there was nothing he could do to stop the punishment, the Canadian fighter tapped out to bring an end to proceedings and hand Aliakbari his third straight finish. The AAA Team representative got a US$50,000 bonus for his efforts, and he made it known that he is seeking a rematch with Malykhin in his post-fight interview.

“Chatri [Sityodtong, ONE Chairman and CEO], thank you for this opportunity. But you said before that Malykhin is the best heavyweight in the world. Now, I will show you who is the f***ing best heavyweight in the world. Give me this f***ing fight. Malykhin, come and see me, bro,” Aliakbari said. “Next time, I will come for belt. Malykhin, are you ready?”

“Sladkiy” was in attendance at the star-studded event, and he wasted no time letting his former rival know that he accepted the challenge by jumping from his seat and racing into the ring. The two hulking heavyweights then exchanged in a brief tussle before being broken up.

In his Instagram account, Malykhin posted a clip of the faceoff and offered a reminder to his potential opponent of what happened when they first met. “Let’s go! You know what happened last time #SleepTime,” he wrote in the caption. The pair met at ONE: Revolution in September 2021, with both men making their sophomore appearances in the promotion. On that occasion, Malykhin displayed his incredible punching power and rocked Aliakbari before unleashing a devastating combination to finish the fight in the opening round.

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Since then, however, Aliakbari has defeated a former World Title challenger in Mauro Cerilli, and former longtime heavyweight king Brandon Vera. His victory over Joynson means a strong case can now be made for a rematch with Malykhin.

 Anatoly Malykhin won’t be an easy challenge for Amir Aliakbari

The two-division World Champion is not the same fighter Aliakbari once faced. After their matchup, the Golden Team representative took the interim ONE Heavyweight World Title by defeating Kirill Grishenko, ended Reinier de Rider’s undefeated run of 16 wins to take the light heavyweight strap, and claimed undisputed status in the heavyweight division by dominating Arjan Bhullar. 

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Looking at both men’s recent performances and their exchange at the end of the last event, one thing is certain – a ONE Heavyweight World Title tussle between the two of them would be a guaranteed barnburner.