Reiner De Ridder Eager to Fight “Real” Heavyweight Champion Anatoly Malykhin Over Inactive Arjan Bhullar

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Souvik Roy

Nov 27, 2022 | 7:39 AM EST

Reiner De Ridder Eager to Fight “Real” Heavyweight Champion Anatoly Malykhin Over Inactive Arjan Bhullar

Add us on Google

Souvik Roy

Nov 27, 2022 | 7:39 AM EST

As far as Reinier de Ridder is concerned, there is only one heavyweight king in ONE Championship–Anatoly Malykhin.

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The Breda native will defend his light heavyweight crown against interim heavyweight titleholder Malykhin in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 5 on Friday, December 2; and he makes it clear that the Russian star deserves to be called the divisional top dog over ONE Heavyweight World Champion Arjan Bhullar.

De Ridder’s reasoning is based on one simple point–Malykhin’s willingness to fight under any conditions.

Reiner De Ridder views Anatoly Malykhin as the real heavyweight champion

“[Anatoly] Malykhin is the real heavyweight champ, as far as I’m concerned, because Bhullar has been inactive for so long. So, yeah, it’s the right fight. Yes, it’s a cool fight to make,” he said.

“Sladkiy” was scheduled to meet Bhullar in a Heavyweight World Title unification bout earlier this year, but the Indian star, who hasn’t competed since winning the strap in May 2021, pulled out due to injury.

Keen to stay active, Malykhin immediately jumped at the opportunity to drop down a division and challenge De Ridder when ONE came calling.

Reiner De Rider vs Anatoly Malykhin is expected to be an enthraller

Their main event battle at ONE on Prime Video 5 will now serve as the perfect way for the promotion to end the year on a high; as both fighters have been electric in the Circle this year.

De Ridder defended his ONE Middleweight World Title in back-to-back appearances against Kiamrian Abbasov and Vitaly Bigdash. And Malykhin saw off Kirill Grishenko to claim the interim heavyweight strap at ONE: BAD BLOOD in February.

Both superstars are undefeated in their careers, with Malykhin sporting a perfect 11-0 resume and De Ridder holding a 16-0 slate, so fans are guaranteed an epic battle when these two clash inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines next Friday.

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Souvik Roy

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The coveted scrap between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002 was when I realized the passion for combat sports within my family. My interest in combat sports began watching scripted pro wrestling shows. It was my father who directed me towards combat sports and it wasn’t until the late 2010s that I discovered the world of MMA and the UFC. Like many of you, I too, tuned in for the infamous Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor bout live on October 6, 2018. Being an ardent fan of the UFC (and Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier), I was always looking to have conversations about the same with others. But to my disappointment, I hardly found any followers of the sports to interact with. So I took it upon myself to do my part in popularizing the thrill and the agony behind the purest form of unarmed combat. At EssentiallySports, I try to bring the readers closer to the athletes and focus my coverage on exploring the human side of these martial artists. I’m a musician during my time free from reporting MMA. I operate as the lead vocalist of a rock band that aims to make their mark among the audiences with their original alternative-hard rock songs. You can hit me up at-

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