“No issues with gaining back muscle” - Anatoly Malykhin says move back to heavyweight went as smoothly as planned
After dropping down from heavyweight to middleweight in search of a third world title, Anatoly Malykhin has had no trouble regaining muscle for his highly anticipated return to the ring at ONE 169.
In March, Malykhin decided it was time to add another belt to his collection after already claiming the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight MMA world championships. In a stunning turn of events, 'Sladkiy' did exactly that—scoring a vicious third-round TKO against Reinier de Ridder to bring home the ONE middleweight MMA world title.
Now sitting as MMA's first-ever simultaneous three-division world champion, the Russian juggernaut is setting his sights on successfully defending all three belts, and it all starts with his upcoming clash against Senegalese sensation Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane at ONE 169 on Friday, Nov. 8.
Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' will headline a loaded lineup inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
With fight night closing in, Malykhin confirmed during a recent interview with ONE Championship that he had no difficulty regaining muscle after cutting down to middleweight. He said:
"No, there were no issues with gaining back muscle. I just ate, rested, slept, and everything got back to normal pretty quickly."
Anatoly Malykhin clashes with 'Reug Reug' in one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights of 2024
ONE 169 will be Anatoly Malykhin's first time competing as a heavyweight since trading in his interim belt for undisputed gold against ex-champion Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 last year.
Meanwhile, 'Reug Reug' has been laying waste to the competition in the division, including an impressive performance against 17-time BJJ world champion Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida at ONE Fight Night 13. The win over Almeida moved Kane to 6-1 in his mixed martial arts career and scored him his first ONE world title opportunity.
Will Kane cash in on his shot and hand 'Sladkiy' his first career loss, or will Malykhin continue to dominate the competition, regardless of division?
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 8 in U.S. primetime.