Canadian fighter Arjan Bhullar is defending his ONE Heavyweight Championship title for the first time this Friday. He’s taking on the light heavyweight champ and interim heavyweight champ Anatoliy Malykhin. Oddsmakers think the Russian fighter will triumph in Thailand, but what do we think? To see our ONE Friday Fights 22 prediction, just keep on
Arjan Bhullar vs. Anatoliy Malykhin ONE Friday Fights 22 Odds, Time, and Prediction
Canadian fighter Arjan Bhullar is defending his ONE Heavyweight Championship title for the first time this Friday. He’s taking on the light heavyweight champ and interim heavyweight champ Anatoliy Malykhin. Oddsmakers think the Russian fighter will triumph in Thailand, but what do we think? To see our ONE Friday Fights 22 prediction, just keep on reading this Bhullar vs. Malykhin preview.
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Arjan Bhullar | +500 |
| Anatoliy Malykhin | -1111 |
*Odds taken from Vbet on Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand
- Date: Friday, June 23, 2023
- Time: ~8:00 AM ET
- How to Watch: Amazon Prime
Betting Odds Suggest Arjan Bhullar Will Not Defend His Title
Arjan Bhullar (11-1) is a 6’1-high 241lb-heavy former UFC fighter whose No. 1 expertise is wrestling. In fact, he’s the winner of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in freestyle wrestling, who’s been using those skills in the world of MMA as well.
Still, since the start of his professional MMA career in 2014, Bhullar’s strongest weapon has been striking. With fast hands and fists made of concrete, this guy was able to beat four opponents by KO/TKO. This includes Brandon Vera, the former ONE Heavyweight Championship holder.
The win in question happened in the title bout more than two years ago, and Bhullar hasn’t fought since. The Indian-Canadian fighter had some issues with his ONE Championship contract, which is why he went on such a long hiatus.
It seems that bettors and bookies think he’s got some ring rust ahead of the fight with Anatoliy Malykhin, which explains why his opponent is seen as a -1111 favorite.
Anatoliy Malykhin Looking to Establish Himself as the Best ONE Championship Fighter
Anatoliy Malykhin is 12-0 in his professional career, each of which happened by a finish. The Russian has five wins to his name since joining ONE Championship in 2021. The highlight of his career is the KO win over Reiner de Ridder in the ONE Light Heavyweight Championship fight at One on Prime Video 5 in December 2022. At the time, de Ridder was in the top 10 light heavyweights in the world by Sherdog.
The win has really put Malykhin on the MMA map, and he’s now considered by many to be the finest fighter in the promotion. Still, it might be too soon to think of him as a superstar, especially given that he still needs to prove himself.
He did beat de Ridder, but the fact is that the Dutchman is a small light heavyweight, who used to fight in the middleweight division. This weekend, however, he’s taking on a really big guy, who might not be as great a grappler as de Ridder, but who’s almost impossible to take down.
Arjan Bhullar vs. Anatoliy Malykhin Prediction
It’s really crazy to think of a former UFC fighter (who’s the current ONE Heavyweight champ) as of a +500 underdog. Sure, Bhullar hasn’t fought in a long time, but skills and fighting IQ cannot vanish in two years’ time. Although we do understand that his opponent needs to be seen as the favorite, we wouldn’t be surprised if Bhullar ended the Malykhin hype.
Pick: Arjan Bhullar to win
