Arjan Bhullar Slams 'Coward' Anatoly Malykhin As Unification Looms

The ONE Championship heavyweight title picture is about to crown an undisputed champion as interim champion Anatoly Malykhin takes on reigning heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar sometime soon.

As mixed martial arts (MMA) fans wait with anticipation for the announcement of their matchup, Bhullar decided that he has had enough with Malykhin’s trash-talking and fired back with barbs of his own, going so far as to call the Russian knockout king a "coward."

“He hasn’t posted anything since I’ve announced I was back. Check his social media. He hasn’t said a [expletive] thing. That shows you what kind of coward he really is and what he actually thinks of the situation,” Bhullar said in a recent interview.

In mid-April, Bhullar confirmed that the “paperwork is in order,” putting an end to his long-running stalemate with the Singapore-based outfit that has kept him sidelined since winning the heavyweight title off Brandon Vera at ONE: Dangal back in May 2021 via second-round TKO.

Bhullar continued to berate his upcoming opponent, telling him that he needs to get his “head checked” for even thinking about him stepping into the cage with the champion.

“I’m not running from anyone or anybody. He’s delusional. And he is short with short arms and legs. He’s 5-foot-9. My arms and legs and entire body is longer than his,” he declared.

As to when fans can expect their rivalry to reach the ring, Bhullar was quick to offer himself and Malykhin a place on the promotion’s first-ever card that will be streaming live on Amazon Prime which has no date as of yet.

“I’d love to be on that first event. Let’s do it. [I’m] excited for the company, excited for the future, excited for Amazon, excited for the fans. [It’s going to be] in my backyard, U.S. and Canada,” he stated.

Malykhin has since responded to Bhullar’s comments.

“People like that have a habit of projecting their own problems on others. We will see who is who during the fight. I am faster, stronger, have better punches, and my stamina is great. If he (Bhullar) is brave enough to sign the contract, he will, and then you’ll see how he falls on the canvas,” Malykhin remarked.

His impressive one-shot knockout of Kirill Grishenko at ONE: Bad Blood this past February saw him claim the interim title.

With Bhullar on his immediate horizon, fans cannot wait to see who will be crowned the undisputed ONE heavyweight champion when it is all said and done.