“This guy will immediately run” - Anatoly Malykhin says ‘Reug Reug’ has no chance against his immense power at ONE 169
Anatoly Malykhin was relatively quiet in the weeks leading up to his world title defense against Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane. That was until he sat down with ONE Championship in an exclusive interview.
In his conversation with the promotion, the reigning three-division MMA world champion unloaded a storm of insults directed at Kane ahead of their highly anticipated showdown in the main event of ONE 169.
Malykhin will defend his ONE heavyweight MMA world title for the first time against Kane on Nov. 8 in US primetime at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
After getting tired of Kane's constant trash talk, Anatoly Malykhin barked back and said the Senegalese wrestling machine would immediately cower the moment he gets hit.
Malykhin said:
"As soon as the referee says, ‘Go,’ I will touch him two times, and this guy will immediately run away hugging."
Kane has been incessant in his smack talk, calling Malykhin a "fake champion" and accusing the reigning ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world champion of ducking.
Malykhin, however, seems to have heard enough and is hellbent on shutting Kane up in the show-closing fight of ONE 169 in Bangkok.
The entire ONE 169 card is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Anatoly Malykhin relishes in fulfilling his childhood dream
Anatoly Malykhin has certainly made a habit of making the impossible into certain possibilities.
The reigning ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world champion broke through Russia's demanding athletic system to become a Master of Sport in Freestyle Wrestling.
He also defied the odds when he became the first and only three-division MMA world champion, a promise he made against the opposition of his childhood teachers.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Malykhin said it was always his dream to reach the pinnacle of MMA. Not only did he achieve his world champion aspirations, but Malykhin did it three times over.
He said:
"It was my childhood dream to become a world champion, and I managed to become a triple world champion. So I'm going to cherish my childhood dream."