“A former double champion of the best league in the world” - Anatoly Malykhin not surprised by Reinier de Ridder’s winning run in the UFC

Anatoly Malykhin remains baffled why a lot of people counted out Reinier de Ridder when he joined the UFC late last year.

After all, the reigning ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world champion knows 'RDR' quite too well, having fought him twice under the world's largest martial arts organization's banner.

In an interview with RDX Sports, Malykhin knew his former rival would turn a lot of heads, considering he once held two world titles in two divisions against elite competition in ONE Championship.

“He’s a truly strong fighter, a former double champion of what I consider the best league in the world — ONE Championship. He had 16 finishes," the Russian said.

De Ridder is now 3-0 in the UFC, with his latest win coming against Bo Nickal at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo.

'The Dutch Knight' previously recorded seven victories in ONE, with five of those coming via finishes.

However, he ran into a brick wall in the form of Anatoly Malykhin, who took away his middleweight and light heavyweight world titles and served him the two losses of his professional career.

Despite their history, Malykhin is the type to give credit when it's due, and he made sure to commend his old rival on his recent success.

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Anatoly Malykhin says Bo Nickal had no chance against 'real champion' Reinier de Ridder

A lot of pundits saw Reinier de Ridder as the underdog, Bo Nickal included.

However, as far as Anatoly Malykhin is concerned, 'RDR' had the skills and talent to halt the hype train of the favored American wrestler. 'Sladkiy' told LowKick MMA:

"You know what I’ll say, who is Bo Nickal, really? He stepped in there against a two-division ONE champion, against a guy who’s finished some very serious opponents. Bo is just a hyped-up fighter. Reinier de Ridder is a real champion.”