“Easy work” - Three-division world champ Anatoly Malykhin already back in the gym, teases insane move to welterweight

Is three-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin already eyeing a belt?

After claiming both the light heavyweight and undisputed heavyweight belts in back-to-back bouts against Reinier de Ridder and Arjan Bhullar, Malykhin ran it back with 'The Dutch Knight' at ONE 166 in Qatar intending to take his former foe's last remaining title — the ONE middleweight MMA world championship.

Malykhin did exactly that, dispatching Reinier de Ridder in the third round with an absolutely dominant performance. Already dripping with 78 pounds of ONE Championship gold, the Russian juggernaut recently another insane move down in weight.

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"Easy work," Malykhin said in a video on Tiger Muay Thai's Instagram stories. "84 kilos, let's go!"

For those without a conversion chart nearby, 84 kilos translates to 185 pounds which is the weight limit for competitors in ONE Championship's welterweight division. Could we see Anatoly Malykhin make another move down in an attempt to collect a fourth belt?

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Despite going two-up on Reinier de Ridder, Anatoly Malykhin believes their rivalry is far from over

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Now holding back-to-back victories over Reinier de Ridder inside the Circle, one would think that their one-sided rivalry would be officially put to bed.

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However, 'Sladkiy' believes that the two will meet again down the line once 'The Dutch Knight' works his way back into the win column.

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“I think he’s a solid fighter," Malykhin told ONE Championship. "He still deserves another chance, but first, he needs to do two fights and get on a winning streak. And I need a heavyweight fight, then one at light heavyweight, and then I’m ready for a middleweight trilogy. This feud is not over.”

Are you interested in seeing Anatoly Malykhin and Reinier de Ridder complete their trilogy once the Dutchman finds some success inside the Circle?

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