Singapore, May 19 (Agency) The highly anticipated ONE Heavyweight World Title unification bout between reigning divisional king Arjan “Singh” Bhullar of India and interim titleholder Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin of Russia has been officially confirmed by ONE Championship. The blockbuster clash between two of the most dangerous heavyweights in mixed martial arts today is set to headline ONE Friday Fights 22 at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 23. Fans across India can watch the fight live, exclusively on Star Sports Network.Bhullar captured the prestigious World Title gold when he dethroned Filipino-American icon Brandon “The Truth” Vera at ONE: DANGAL in May 2021.
Due to various circumstances, the Canadian-Indian star has been out of action since then, but he’s now ready to return and plans to cement himself as the heavyweight king. Meanwhile, Malykhin has stayed very busy in Bhullar’s absence. The hulking Russian owns a perfect professional record of 12-0, along with a 100 percent finishing rate, and has emerged as one of the most dominant forces in MMA. A stoppage victory over Kirill Grishenko at ONE: BAD BLOOD in February 2022 earned Malykhin the ONE Interim Heavyweight World Title. Then at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022, “Sladkiy” became a two-division ONE World Champion when he finished Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder to claim the light heavyweight throne. Now, Bhullar and Malykhin are ready to settle the score and compete for the undisputed ONE Heavyweight World Title in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 22 at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.