Anatoly Malykhin responds to Shamil Erdogan's gibe about stepping into his territory: "I'm the champion here"
Three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin doesn't make much of Shamil Erdogan's statement after the latter registered the biggest victory of his career at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6.
Erdogan immediately shifted his attention to 'Sladkiy' after his crushing win over former double champ Aung La N Sang inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
The Kremost Fight Club man reminded the Russian juggernaut that he's interfering with his business in the middleweight division during the post-fight speech with color commentator Mitch Chilson.
However, Malykhin — the ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight world champion — took his chance to remind the Dagestani-born Turk that he's the one sitting atop the throne of the 205-pound division.
Speaking exclusively to ONE Championship, Anatoly Malykhin noted:
"If Shamil says I came into his territory, then he's stepped into mine. I'm the [world] champion here, and ONE Championship is my home. I'm ready for any challenge."
A matchup between the pair, given their world-class skill sets, could surely set the Circle on fire. However, before the triple champ pursues his first assignment as the middleweight world champion, the 36-year-old will have his radar locked on his next opponent at ONE 169: Atlanta on Nov. 8.
'Sladkiy' puts his heavyweight crown on the line against 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane in one of four world title matchups set for the promotion's hotly anticipated return to North America inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
'Reug Reug' confident he can end Anatoly Malykhin's reign as heavyweight king
As tough as a test it may be, 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane remains extremely sure that he can get the job done and hand Anatoly Malykhin his first loss in the main event of ONE 169: Atlanta.
On top of that, the 32-year-old doesn't plan on stopping at just one world title. The Senegalese powerhouse told Sportskeeda MMA:
"It's my belt, you know. I'm going to win this fight, Insya-Allah. Then, I'm going down to 100kg, I'll go to light heavyweight, and I'm going to win."
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire card live and for free in U.S. primetime. Tickets for the spectacle are available for purchase on Ticketmaster.