“Day for your country” - Anatoly Malykhin gives props to ‘Reug Reug’ following world title matchup at ONE 169
Former ONE heavyweight MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin was gracious in defeat after he lost the belt to Senegalese fighter 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane in their headlining contest at ONE 169 on Nov. 8 in Thailand.
In a chance meeting at the lobby of the hotel they were billeted, 'Sladkiy' took the opportunity to congratulate the newly minted divisional king and his team for the historic victory at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. The win made 'Reug Reug' the first African-born ONE world champion.
In an Instagram video post by Red Corner MMA, Malykhin can be heard telling 'Reug Reug':
"[It was] your day bro. Day for your country. Day for you team. Cool, bro. You're cool, bro."
Check out the video below:
At ONE 169, Anatoly Malykhin encountered trouble in the early goings, as he was taken down by 'Reug Reug' and absorbed some telling blows.
However, he managed to steady the ship as the fight progressed, getting control of the contest in the later rounds by limiting the inroads that his opponent were making. Unfortunately for him, he narrowly fell short, losing on the judges' scorecards by split decision.
The loss was the first for Malykhin in 15 professional MMA fights and saw him slide to a 6-1 record in ONE Championship.
The full replay of ONE 169 is available on demand to Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Anatoly Malykhin forging ahead after losing heavyweight gold
Anatoly Malykhin is moving on and is not sulking after he lost the heavyweight MMA world title to 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane in their title clash at ONE 169 on Nov. 8 in Thailand. He said there is more to look forward and that he is grateful to be doing what he is pasisonate about under ONE Championship.
He took to Instagram to share his sentiments while at the same time congratulate the new heavyweight king for the victory, writing:
"Thank you @onechampionship because I have a job and all the best things in my sporting career happened here and with every member of the team. Thank you @yodchatri for all the opportunities. @reugreug congrats on the win."
Despite losing the heavyweight gold, Anatoly Malykhin is still a double world champion as he holds ONE Championship's middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world titles.