Exclusive | ONE Championship sets up interim heavyweight title fight after Arjan Bhullar ‘declines multiple offers’ to defend belt
- Anatoly Malykhin to face Kirill Grishenko in main event of ONE: Only The Brave card on January 28
- ‘While this plays out, the show must go on in our heavyweight division,’ ONE boss Chatri Sityodtong says
ONE Championship has booked an interim title fight between Anatoly Malykhin and Kirill Grishenko, after failing to find a breakthrough in negotiations with heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar.
The interim bout will serve as the main event of ONE: Only The Brave card, which is likely to take place in Singapore on January 28.
“Arjan and his management team have declined multiple offers to defend the ONE heavyweight world championship under his current contract,” Chatri Sityodtong, the ONE Championship CEO, told the Post.
“While this plays out, the show must go on in our heavyweight division, so we will be crowning an interim world champion between top contenders Anatoly Malykhin and Kirill Grishenko.”
The 35-year-old Canadian-Indian Bhullar (11-1) claimed the ONE heavyweight title in April with a second-round TKO of long-time champion Brandon Vera, but is yet to step back in the ONE Circle.
Undefeated “Spartak” Malykhin (10-0) has since earned No 1 contender status with a first-round knockout of Amir Aliakbari in September, but has seen his calls for the title fight fall on deaf ears.