LOOK: Three-division world champ Anatoly Malykhin teases an insane transition to welterweight
ONE Championship has seen a handful of fighters raise themselves to the very top through the years, but no one has done it like Anatoly Malykhin in the modern era.
The reigning three-division MMA world champion has been an unstoppable force of nature since joining ONE Championship in 2021, steamrolling through all six of his opponents and all of it coming by way of knockout or TKO.
Earlier this month at ONE 166, Malykhin made history as the first-ever three-division ONE MMA world champion when his longtime rival Reinier de Ridder handed him the ONE middleweight MMA world championship by retiring from the fight in round three.
With the entire combat sports world in his hands, what 'Sladkiy' does next is anyone's guess, and a seemingly unthinkable move to welterweight appears to be his plan.
On his Instagram stories, the ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world champion shared a photo of himself posing in front of the mirror with the following caption:
"Next 84?"
For those not in the know, ONE Championship's welterweight limit is at 83.9 kg (185 lbs), and just the mere sight of the lifetime heavyweight fighter dropping down in weight to fight welterweight elites would surely be a cannot-miss spectacle.
Anatoly Malykhin grateful for his family's support
What drives an athlete to strive for greatness can differ; in Malykhin's case, all he needs to do is look no further than his own home.
Instagram user Kenny Yaw (@shotbykenny.mp4) captured a couple of intimate moments of the Malykhin family spending time at the beach ahead of ONE 166, and the Golden Team product proudly noted that they were the ones responsible for his success.
Whether Malykhin is serious about dropping to welterweight remains to be seen, but if anyone can do it, it would most certainly be him.