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Anatoly Malykhin became an outlier in MMA spheres after accomplishing a seemingly improbable feat.
The heavyweight and light heavyweight MMA king conquered his third weight class at ONE 166: Qatar, adding the middleweight MMA crown to his haul.
Given his status among the elite, fans and pundits are now wondering how ‘Sladkiy’ will fare against world champions from other MMA organizations.
It seems that Anatoly Malykhin is also intrigued by cross-promotion opportunities and would love to show why ONE is the home to best martial artists in the world.
The Russian juggernaut shared in an interview with Brian Campbell of Morning Kombat:
“I'm ready to represent ONE Championship at a big show and meet with any heavyweights they get in front of me. So, if somebody is ready for the challenge and wants to make a big show, I'm ready. I'm ready to knock out any new opponent.”
The possibilities are certainly endless, considering Anatoly Malykhin is lording over three weight classes.
Then again, perhaps the most enticing matchups for the 36-year-old is at heavyweight, especially after ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong called him ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’.
Malykhin, for one, has already called out PFL’s Francis Ngannou for a boxing showdown.
Anatoly Malykhin living his childhood dream of becoming world champion
Even at a young age, Anatoly Malykhin already knew what he wanted to be.
The hard-hitting bruiser has always been drawn to the art of combat and often proclaimed he’ll be the greatest one day.
Although most people scoffed at his dream, Malykhin pushed through and achieved everything he was set out to do. He shared in the same interview:
“Well, I've been working towards this since my very childhood at school when the teachers used to say, 'What are you going to be when you grow up?' I used to tell everybody, 'I'm going to be the champion,' and they used to say, 'No you won't, you better study well,' but look where I am now.”
Watch the full interview:
