“You really had to be strong” - Anatoly Malykhin says he had to develop a killer’s attitude to survive rough Russian childhood
While some fighters developed their attitude in the gym, Anatoly Malykhin's indomitable will comes from the streets.
The reigning ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world champion is arguably the most terrifying fighter on the planet, and he credits his killer attitude for much of that success.
Malykhin, though, revealed that his mindset was born out of pure necessity.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Anatoly Malykhin said it was his rough childhood in Kemerovo, Russia that built the foundation of what he is today.
'Sladkiy' said he had to fight as a kid if he wanted to survive in the rough areas of the city.
"There were no early losses. We lived in a very rough street, you needed to have boxing or wrestling. You really had to be strong and watch out for yourself sometimes."
Those early street fights ultimately led Malykhin into the gruelling Russian sporting system, where he eventually became a Master of Sport in Freestyle Wrestling.
After representing his country in the grappling arts, Malykhin turned his focus onto MMA.
Malykhin is a perfect 14-0 in his MMA career, with all 14 of his victories coming via either knockout or submission.
The Russian superstar joined ONE Championship in 2021 and has a perfect 6-0 slate on the back of six knockouts.
At ONE 166 in Qatar, Malykhin achieved what was previously deemed impossible and became a three-division world champion.
Malykhin knocked out Reinier de Ridder to add the ONE middleweight MMA world title to the light heavyweight and heavyweight MMA straps already in his possession.
Watch Malykhin's entire interview below:
Anatoly Malykhin boasts of his perfect 300-0 street fighting record
While it may not reside in official record books, Anatoly Malykhin's street fighting record is the stuff of legends.That is if he is to be believed.
In an interview with Morning Kombat, Malykhin boasted of his unblemished 300-0 street fighting record while growing up in Russia. He said:
"There is one point I want to add to my record. I also have another record which is 300-0, and that's my street fight record. I've been fighting since childhood, and anybody can tell it's not very easy to be against Anatoly Malykhin."