Anatoly Malykhin vs Francis Ngannou is a match-up like no other. Throughout the history of prize fighting, the heavyweight division has been the subject of the most intrigue out of all the weight classes.
Fantasy matchups between the greatest heavyweight titans of each era, and indeed each organization, have been debated ad nauseam.
Like the sport of boxing, mixed martial arts is also rife with discussion of which organization is home to the world’s best heavyweight fighter – “The baddest man on the planet,” if you will.
In recent years, Russian wrecking machine Anatoly Malykhin left a trail of destruction in ONE Championship’s heavyweight division before the 36-year-old made history by becoming the first three-division World Champion in MMA history by adding the promotion’s light heavyweight and middleweight belts to his collection.
Elsewhere in the heavyweight landscape, Francis Ngannou shocked the UFC when he left as the American organization’s heavyweight king in 2023. The hulking Cameroonian has since made a splash in boxing, while his return to MMA is still pending.
So, how would a dream showdown between Malykhin and Ngannou play out? According to ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, it wouldn’t be the spectacle that you might be expect.
Chatri Sityodtong sides with Anatoly Malykhin in hypothetical Francis Ngannou showdown
Chatri Sityodtong thinks that Anatoly Malykhin would easily dispose of Francis Ngannou if the pair were to lock horns.
Speaking to MMAFighting, the ONE boss broke it down. “I don’t think it would be competitive,” he said.
“Francis has one-punch KO power, great striking, but he doesn’t have a ground game. I mean, genuinely [he has] blue belt level jiu-jitsu and no wrestling. Anatoly would take him down in a heartbeat. I don’t think it would be competitive, just to be very blunt, and I’m speaking as a lifelong martial artist.”
“We all know in all the different weight classes, wrestling is the one discipline that allows you to dictate where the fight takes place. If a wrestler wants to keep it standing, he keeps it standing. If he wants to take you down or she wants to take you down, they’ll take you down, especially a world-class wrestler — a Russian national team wrestler like Anatoly Malykhin. [But] we’ve always been open [to cross promotion].”
Sityodtong has made no secret of his willingness to test his biggest stars against those of other promotions. The difficulties of arranging such bouts are obvious and, if the Thai businessman is correct, Malykhin vs. Ngannou might shock the MMA world.