“I'm starting again” - Anatoly Malykhin eager to work on weaknesses for inevitable comeback
Former heavyweight MMA king and current light heavyweight and middleweight MMA world champion 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin of Russia was forced off his lofty perch in ONE Championship's highest division with a stinging reality check against Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video last weekend.
The 36-year-old Kemerovo native suffered a five-round unanimous decision loss to the Senegalese wrestling sensation in the evening's main event, also losing his coveted golden belt in the process.
After the fight, Malykhin admitted he fell short on the night but also learned a lot from the humbling experience. As such, he wants to hit training immediately to work on his weaknesses.
Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Malykhin expressed his desire to improve as a fighter.
The Golden Team representative said:
"I'm starting again the day after tomorrow. I’ll be doing wrestling, boxing, and definitely adding some strength training. My legs feel weaker from moving up and down between weight classes, so I need to work on that."
Fans can expect Malykhin to be back sooner rather than later, and with a vengeance.
ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video took place live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, Nov. 9. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
What went wrong for Anatoly Malykhin against 'Reug Reug' at ONE 169 on Prime Video?
If you ask former heavyweight king 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin where exactly he faltered against Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane in the main event of ONE 169, the 36-year-old will admit he wasn't feeling right.
He told ONE:
"The training camp was solid. We trained well and did everything as planned, but on the day of the fight, I just didn’t feel physically at 100 percent."
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Anatoly Malykhin's next fight.