Arjan Bhullar: “Anatoly Malykhin is an idiot”

There is no love lost between ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar and interim titleholder Anatoly Malykhin.

The highly awaited heavyweight world title unification fight will finally come to a conclusion on June 23 when the two, who have previously engaged in multiple back-and-forth fights, square off in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 22.

After a lengthy absence, Arjan Bhullar will make his long-awaited return to the ONE stage in this month's fight.

The Indian MMA world champion joined the Singapore-based organization in 2019, defeating Mauro Cerilli before winning the coveted divisional gold against Brandon Vera in May 2021.

'Singh' has been sidelined due to injuries and contract talks after those two successful appearances, which has resulted in a longer layoff than most people would've anticipated.

Arjan Bhullar acknowledged in an interview that he had nothing but admiration for the Russian titan. However, the latter's language and demeanour have increased his desire to subdue the two-division champion.

Arjan said: "This guy is the biggest...he’s a useful idiot is what he is."

Their heavyweight unification match, which begins on June 23 at ONE Friday Fights 22, will be the centre of attention.