“What a real warrior looks like” - Watch Anatoly Malykhin transform from a rampaging beast into a loving family man
When he's inside the Circle, Anatoly Malykhin has proven to be a destructive and unstoppable force. Outside of the Circle, he's a loving family man and a good human being.
'Sladkiy' made ONE Championship history in his last outing at ONE 166: Qatar, securing a third-round TKO against Reinier de Ridder to add the ONE middleweight MMA world championship to a collection that already includes the undisputed light heavyweight and heavyweight MMA world titles.
On Friday, Nov. 8, he'll put the latter on the line for the first time when he meets Senegalese sensation Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok at ONE 169:
“What a real warrior looks like! 😆👊 Will Anatoly Malykhin extend his perfect MMA record to 15-0 by defeating Reug Reug and defending his heavyweight throne at ONE 169?”
Reacting to the above clip, fans were quick to praise Malykhin—not only for his utter dominance on martial arts' biggest global stage but for his kindness outside of the Circle:
"this man is MIDDEL WEIGHT , LIGHT HEAVY WEIGHT & HEAVYWEIGHT at One Time 💀 first in mma history."
"Probably the nicest dude not just fighter I’ve ever met"
"Well done, good job champion"
"True warrior"
"The king 👑 👊🏾"
Anatoly Malykhin meets one of the most well-rounded heavyweights in all of MMA at ONE 169
Thus far, Anatoly Malykhin is a perfect 14-0 in his mixed martial arts career with a 100% finish rate. Along the way, he's bested some of the biggest names in heavyweight MMA, including Amir Aliakbari and former ONE heavyweight titleholder Arjan Bhullar.
On top of that, 'Sladkiy' also holds two victories over Reinier de Ridder, taking the Dutchman's light heavyweight and middleweight belts in the process.
However, Malykhin will face his toughest test yet when he meets 'Reug Reug' in the ONE 169 headliner.
Kane earned his first shot at 26 pounds of gold via an impressive performance against 17-time BJJ world champion Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida at ONE Fight Night 13 last year.
Will 'Reug Reug' shock the world and hand Malykhin his first career loss, or will 'Sladkiy' continue to dominate the competition and leave with all three of his titles intact?
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.