Anatoly Malykhin is prepared to fight Francis Ngannou next

ONE three-weight class MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin is looking to fight Francis Ngannou next. The Russian beast created history by defeating Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder at the Qatar 166 fighting event to become ONE’s first ever three-division world champion. He is currently a ONE MMA middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight belt, but that isn’t enough for the world champion, as now he wants to challenge the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who has shifted his focus to boxing for now.

Anatoly Malykhin is so eager to fight the former heavyweight champion that he doesn’t even care if he has to transition to boxing. His mindset to keep pushing towards his goal of being the best in MMA is what drives him to such heights in combat sports. An MMA fight between the two giants would no doubt bring more viewers to the fight, but the crossover could only happen if the ONE and PFL come to an agreement on conducting the bout. Anatoly, who is still undefeated in his professional career, is ready to put his undefeated record of 14-0 on the line to fight Ngannou.

“At the moment, the person who is most talked about is Francis Ngannou. Everybody wants his head on a plate, so he’s the biggest catch. He’s the main challenge for any fighter, and I’m ready for him.”
Anatoly Malykhin on Morning Kombat podcast

Francis Ngannou, as of now, is making his name in the boxing world, though in his last two fights he didn’t get a win in his favor. He is not finished yet, as the fighter can be seen in the cage later this year fighting for the UFC rival PFL. In his last boxing match, he was knocked down by heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua in the second round, finishing the hype of Francis, which he created after fighting Tyson Fury in his debut boxing match.