“He breaks down in fights” - Anatoly Malykhin explains why he’ll barely break a sweat against ‘Reug Reug’
Three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin believes he won't have much trouble in his upcoming heavyweight MMA world title defense.
To say that 'Sladkiy' has been quite dismissive of his challenger 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane would be an understatement.
As far as the Russian destroyer is concerned, the Senegalese contender is simply not on his level.
In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Malykhin rubbed more salt in the wound, claiming 'Reug Reug' is not only physically inferior but also mentally weak.
"He tires out quickly, and he’s always afraid. He breaks down in fights. Look at his more challenging bouts; he always breaks down. There’s always a moment when he doesn’t know what to do. I think this will be the easiest fight."
Anatoly Malykhin is likely pertaining to 'Reug Reug's lone MMA setback at the hands of Kirill Grishenko back in 2021.
The Black Panther Sports affiliate gassed out after two rounds against the Belarusian and was unable to continue the fight.
To be fair, 'Reug Reug' has improved immensely since in both striking and grappling, as well as his conditioning en route to four straight victories.
Anatoly Malykhin says he'll make 'Reug Reug' pay at ONE 169
Anatoly Malykhin and 'Reug Reug' will finally settle their differences this coming Friday in the curtain closer of ONE 169 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the lead-up to this heavyweight MMA war of epic proportions, Malykhin admits he got irked when the challenger questioned his unprecedented three-weight supremacy.
The Russian then reminded Kane of the fate of those who dismissed his skills and vowed to put him in his place.
"There is some tension. This fighter resembles [Amir] Aliakbari who also called me fake, and [Reinier] De Ridder called me fake. All these guys called me a fake champion. But as a result, all of them ended up on the canvas," he told ONE.
ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug will air live in US Primetime on Nov. 8. This stacked card is free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.