"I used to fight a lot on the street" - Anatoly Malykhin explains his willingness to scrap with anyone regardless of size

Over the years, we've seen plenty of fighters boasting about their willingness to fight anybody at any time. However, only a few walk the talk like ONE's three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin.

'Sladkiy' has been on a warpath in the world's largest martial arts organization, taking on all comers in three weight classes.

As a result of his desire to best anyone in combat, the undefeated usurper went on to become the promotion's heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight MMA kingpin.

Malykhin's unflinching attitude to prove himself stemmed from his formative years during his rough upbringing in Russia.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Anatoly Malykhin shared why an opponent's size never mattered to him.

He said:

"You know, when I was a kid I used to fight a lot on the street. Nobody asked me on the street, 'What is my weight?' I had to fight against everybody, small guy, medium guy, heavy guy. Nobody was interested what your weight is."

Watch the full interview below:

It makes sense now how Anatoly Malykhin achieved an unprecedented three-division MMA supremacy.

While the 36-year-old mauler's destructive power is indeed out of this world, it's his ironclad mind and self-belief that makes him one of the most dangerous fighters of this generation.

Anatoly Malykhin had to stay strong in the mean streets of Kemerovo, Russia

Before making it to the top of the MMA totem pole, Malykhin was a young dreamer who had to fight his way out of mediocrity. 'Sladkiy' was never shy of sharing his troubled past, which made him the tough and powerful warrior he is today.

The triple-champion said in the same interview:

"I never got knocked out or lost, but some of those fights came to a decision. We just had to fight, and then the street had to decide."