In a bold proclamation, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong has once again set his sights on two of the biggest names in heavyweight mixed martial arts: Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones. Sityodtong’s comments came during a recent virtual press conference, where he extolled the virtues of his own heavyweight champion, Anatoly Malykhin.
Malykhin, the 36-year-old Russian powerhouse, currently holds an impressive trifecta of titles in ONE Championship across the heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight divisions. With an unblemished professional record of 14-0 and a 100% finish rate, Malykhin has quickly become one of the most dominant forces in the sport.
Sityodtong didn’t mince words when discussing potential matchups between Malykhin and the likes of Ngannou and Jones. Regarding a hypothetical bout with Ngannou, who recently signed with the Professional Fighters League, Sityodtong expressed supreme confidence in his fighter’s abilities.
“Anatoly is the best heavyweight on the planet by far,” Sityodtong declared. He went on to highlight Malykhin’s superior ground game and wrestling pedigree, suggesting that the Russian would swiftly take Ngannou down and end the contest “very quickly.”
The ONE Championship boss didn’t stop there, also weighing in on a potential clash between Malykhin and UFC legend Jon Jones.
“Jon Jones would be a tougher fight, but Anatoly is faster than Jon. Jon is longer, but Anatoly has better wrestling and more one-punch knockout power. That would be a very fun fight. Jon Jones says he’s going to retire after this fight [against Stipe Miocic], so he’s at the end of his career. Anatoly is only getting started, he’s very fresh. He’s finished everybody in front of him. He would beat both heavyweights quite easily.”
This is especially hilarious considering ONE FC has been struggling to keep the talent – with MMA events getting side lined in favor of Muay Thai cards at Lumpinee stadium.
Former ONE FC champ Reiner De Ridder just joined the UFC after a contentious departure from ONE.
These statements come as Malykhin prepares for his next title defense against Senegalese wrestler Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane at ONE 169, scheduled for November 8 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Reug Reug last competed in a comical match up against a man many suspect had very little martial arts experience.
Boucher Ketchup literally had no record to speak of before this matchup.
Sityodtong previously managed to grab enough attention making similar statements about Ngannou but that backfired.
Francis Ngannou became the first UFC champion since BJ Penn in 2004 to enter free agency, attracting interest from major promotions. As negotiations progressed, ONE FC and BKFC courted Ngannou but shifted tactics once it became clear he was leaning toward signing with the PFL. Ngannou later revealed on The MMA Hour that his meetings with ONE FC CEO Chatri Sityodtong felt “performative.” Despite Sityodtong’s extravagant offers and promises, including likening Ngannou to “the Nelson Mandela of MMA,” Ngannou was unimpressed and unaware of the $20M offer Sityodtong claimed to have made. Ultimately, Ngannou questioned ONE’s self-reported statistics and opted to sign with PFL.
“I had to drink like three or four cups of coffee, listening to all those statistics how ONE FC is in Asia, Asia is 4.6 billion people, they’re gonna do this, the data shows that. He was showing me how ONE FC is gonna explode, and (telling me) I’m gonna be like Nelson Mandela.”
“Hey, bro, it was a hell of a performance. I applaud Chatri for his performance.”
