“I think it will help me” - Anatoly Malykhin headed to rough terrain of South Ossetia to work on his wrestling
Former heavyweight MMA king and current light heavyweight and middleweight MMA world champion 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin of Russia knows exactly what he needs to work on now, after suffering the first defeat of his professional career against Senegal's Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane.
Malykhin dropped a five-round unanimous decision loss to 'Reug Reug' in the main event of ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video last weekend, in a fight that he was outworked on the wrestling end.
Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Malykhin says he plans on working on his wrestling to get ready for an eventual rematch with 'Reug Reug', and he's willing to travel in order to get the best training.
'Sladkiy' said:
"I think I need to focus more on wrestling, too. I’m planning to go to South Ossetia to train with some heavyweight freestyle wrestlers. There are a lot of top-tier athletes there, and I think it will help me sharpen my skills."
Needless to say, Malykhin fully expects for an opportunity to reclaim lost gold from his Senegalese rival, which could come as early as Q1 of 2025.
ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video took place live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, November 9. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Anatoly Malykhin says Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane rematch is all he's thinking about now: "I hope it happens soon"
Former heavyweight MMA king 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin may have to wait a little for his shot at redemption against Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane, but the 36-year-old admits he's already looking forward to it.
He told ONE:
"Absolutely. I hope it happens soon. Matchmakers mentioned it might be in March, but the rematch isn’t confirmed yet. It’s still about 50/50."
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Anatoly Malykhin's next fight.