Undisputed ONE Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin believes a rematch with Amir Aliakbari will end the same way it did the first time they met. This past Friday, July 14, Aliakbari scored his third straight finish in ONE when he forced Canada’s Dustin Joynson to tap out to strikes in their heavyweight MMA clash at ONE Fight Night 12. 

Following the win, the Iranian giant took the opportunity to call out Malykhin to a fight, for the World Title. “Sladkiy” jumped inside the ring to accept the challenge, and things got a bit physical between the two heavy hitters.

Anatoly Malykhin dismisses Amir Aliakbari as a challenging opponent

During an interview with ONE Championship after the match, Malykhin explained that while he accepted the challenge, he doesn’t believe that Aliakbari is ready for him and that he may be biting off more than he can chew. “For me, he is easy money,” the two-division World Champion said.

“I saw it in his eyes that he doesn’t understand what he is doing. He doesn’t understand what is waiting for him.” In their previous meeting back in 2021, Malykhin finished Aliakbari in under three minutes. Since then, both men have claimed three straight wins, finishing their opponents each time. However, it could be argued that Malykhin had a more difficult route, as he figured in a World Title fight each time.

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That said, Aliakbari’s rise is bolstered by the fact that he finished a former World Title challenger Mauro Cerilli and sent former longtime divisional king Brandon Vera into retirement. It may also be the perfect time for a rematch, as ONE Championship recently revealed its plan to mount its debut event in the Middle East in the coming months.

Anatoly Malykhin will eye engraving his name in the Qatari audience’s mind

If the stars align, Persian powerhouse Aliakbari could find himself in a World Championship challenge in Qatar. For his part, Malykhin is excited at the idea of heading into enemy territory and asserting his dominance even further to a new live audience. 

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“I would love to fight in Qatar. I could put on a beautiful fight. I always go out of my way to please the audience, to put on a show,” he said. “I would be remembered by the local audience 100 percent with my beautiful knockout.”