“A real champion” - Anatoly Malykhin all praise for former opponent Reinier de Ridder after his dominant win over Bo Nickal 

Two-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin is the least bit surprised by Reinier de Ridder's three-fight winning streak in the UFC. Malykhin, who beat 'RDR' twice to capture the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world titles, recently commented on the Dutch fighter's TKO win over Bo Nickal at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo.

'Sladkiy' shared in an interview with 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.”

As it stands, Reinier de Ridder holds a 20-2 MMA record, with those two blemishes coming at the hands of Malykhin.

The 37-year-old Russian powerhouse took away de Ridder's light heavyweight MMA crown at ONE on Prime Video 5 in 2022. They ran it back at ONE 166 in 2024, with Malykhin finishing his rival via TKO for the middleweight strap.

Despite their shared history, Malykhin has shown a great deal of respect for de Ridder as a person and a martial artist.

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Anatoly Malykhin congratulates Reinier de Ridder on his latest win

As the last man to beat Reinier de Ridder, Anatoly Malykhin is familiar with how his old foe operates.

In another interview with Metaratings MMA, Malykhin congratulated 'RDR' and wished him well:

"I gave de Ridder rocket fuel. He'll go all the way. He showed a good fight. It's not for nothing that this guy has 20 wins and 18 finishes. This man held two belts in one of the best leagues in the world. Who is Bo Nickal to him? Who is he? He showed that this is not his level. Reinier can compete with anyone. He's improving now. He's motivated.”