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At ONE 166 on March 1 in Qatar, undefeated two-division king Anatoly Malykhin will return to the circle in the pursuit of adding more gold to his collection.
The Russian hulk will look to make his middleweight debut in a fight that has history on the line, as he looks to become the first ever three-division world champion.
Standing in his way is a man that will have vengeance on his mind after suffering the first defeat of his career to Malykhin over a year ago. Reinier de Ridder lost his double champ status when his Russian foe took the light heavyweight title by force. But back at his natural weight class, 'The Dutch Knight' will look to defend his territory and avenge the one blemish on his pro record.
ONE Championship’s debut in Qatar promised to be a stacked event, but now it has a legacy defining main event that will close out the show in style.
Fans were pumped to see one of the biggest rematches in the history of the promotion get put together for the event.
Most notably, following an Instagram post which showcased some of the challenger’s best moments in recent years, the ONE family were excited to see Malykhin attempt to write his name into the history books by standing out in a category of his own.
The chance to make history awaits Anatoly Malykhin
Given his run in the promotion thus far, it’s no surprise that Anatoly Malykhin finds himself in a position that few martial artists have ever dreamed of.
Becoming a three-division world champion at ONE 166 would elevate his already impressive undefeated career into the stuff of legend, and he’s already beaten de Ridder once before in 2022.
The big question for a lot of fans will be how he is able to make the drop down to the middleweight limit after competing at both light heavyweight and heavyweight.
If he is able to make the weight safely in good condition, he has a very good chance of kicking off his year by becoming an icon of the circle.
