“I will smash this guy” – Two-division king Anatoly Malykhin promises ruthless aggression vs. Reinier de Ridder in Qatar

Anatoly Malykhin believes destruction is his domain as he moves closer to his dream to conquer three divisions.

The two-division king attempts to be MMA's first-ever to achieve that feat when he faces Reinier de Ridder for the Dutchman's middleweight crown at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1.

As he did in their first encounter, 'Sladkiy' plans to wrap up his contest against de Ridder early. In doing so, he hopes to put on a show for what should be a jam-packed crowd inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post two weeks out of his middleweight debut, Anatoly Malykhin shared:

“I will smash this guy [for sure]. I would like people in [the Middle East] to be happy [with a good performance]. So, let’s go.”

Watch the full interview here:

Malykhin has stuck to that promise since debuting for the world’s largest martial arts organization in March 2021.

With five continuous highlight-reel wins over Alexandre Machado, Amir Aliakbari, Kirill Grishenko, Arjan Bhullar, and the aforementioned de Ridder, the undefeated star has established himself as the most destructive force on the roster.

Another perfect display over de Ridder would be a feather in his cap, but he must bring his A-Game against ‘The Dutch Knight', who is out to wreak havoc, when they run it back in Qatar on March 1.

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Anatoly Malykhin’s KO power should power him to another victory over de Ridder

Beating de Ridder wouldn’t be a turn-up for the books if Anatoly Malykhin can discover a way to push the Breda native on reverse gear from the sound of the bell.

Pressuring ‘The Dutch Knight’ is one thing, but the Golden Team megastar needs to do so while launching in with his trademark haymakers at a constant pace.

From there, the 36-year-old can switch levels with kicks, knees, or takedown attempts to continue his massacre on the canvas.

At the same time, he must stay sharp and avoid being prey to the Dutchman, who flourishes whenever a fight hits the canvas.

Should Anatoly Malykhin check all the boxes mentioned above, there’s every reason to believe MMA could have its first three-division world champion next month.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE 166: Qatar card live and for free.