The heavyweight championship match between titleholder Arjan Bhullar and interim champion Anatoly Malykhin, originally set for the upcoming March 24 event in Singapore, has unfortunately been postponed due to a shift in broadcast obligations.
The news was announced by ONE Championship organizers on Wednesday, with Claro Sports breaking the story. Bhullar expressed his disappointment in an interview with MMA Fighting. However, fans can still look forward to an exciting main event featuring Superlek and Rodtang in a flyweight kickboxing match. Stay tuned for updates on the rescheduled championship bout, which will now take place later in 2023.
“Chatri got on the phone with me multiple times through this so I thank him and the organization for that,” Bhullar said. “Very, very frustrating, and I’m sure for my opponent as well, for my coaches, for my family. It’s not just a fighter that trains and gets ready for a fight, right? For the whole team. We were so ready to get going, but there’s partners that make fights happen. You need an opponent, you need the company to put it on, you have broadcast partners, all of that.”
Bhullar said “the rescheduling should be right around the corner”. A final date is yet to be selected, but promises “it’s not gonna be six months or something like this.”
Arjan Bhullar, the reigning ONE heavyweight champion, has been out of action since May 2021. He was set to fight interim champion Anatoly Malykhin in September, but had to withdraw due to an injury. Bhullar won the championship in 2021 after knocking out UFC veteran Brandon Vera in the second round.
Meanwhile, Malykhin has been on a roll, winning the vacant heavyweight championship in February 2022 and then claiming the light heavyweight title by defeating previously unbeaten Reinier de Ridder just ten months later. With two titles to his name, Malykhin is a force to be reckoned with in the world of mixed martial arts. Stay tuned for updates on the rescheduled fight between Bhullar and Malykhin, which promises to be a thrilling clash between two champions.
“I’ve been told as well is there’s gonna be a backup fighter for the next date,” Bhullar said. “So no matter what there will be a fight. Broadcasting issues will be out of the way. If someone gets hurt, no matter what the title will be defended at the next date. There are positives coming out of this.”
“Straight from Chatri, there’s a big promotion plan for this fight,” he continued. “And if what he is telling me happens, it’s gonna be next level promotion with our broadcast partners. The company wants this to happen, it’s the biggest heavyweight fight in our history, champion versus champion. He’s had great momentum, lots of history here of booking this thing. Broadcast partners wanted, they recognize it, so it’s gonna have a big fight feel for sure if everything that we’re planning happens.”