Anatoly Malykhin says he accepted fight with Reinier de Ridder because "heavyweight chicken" Arjan Bhullar was "running away"

ONE interim heavyweight world champion 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin will be challenging for the light heavyweight throne against the undefeated Reinier de Ridder at ONE on Prime Video 5 on December 2.

This was not the Russian's first choice for a fight as he wanted heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar. But due to injuries and other issues, the ONE heavyweight world champion has not fought since 2021.

Instead, the undefeated knockout machine will face off against Dutch grappling ace and double world champion Reinier de Ridder on December 2.

Following the announcement of his fight with the light heavyweight champ, Malykhin called out the heavyweight king for not fighting on Instagram. 'Sladkiy' posted:

"While a heavy-weight chicken is running away from me, I had to go down in the weight category and fight in 102 kg. 🥇 On December 3, two worthy men will fight [Anatoly Malykhin] [Reinier de Ridder] [ONE Championship] let’s go!!! #ONEonPrimeVideo5."

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Anatoly Malykhin talks knockout power and Reinier de Ridder

The vast majority of Malykhin's victories have been won by way of knockout. This Russian fighter packs power in both of his fists. Undefeated and holding the interim world title at heavyweight, he is a man to be feared.

On his matchup against 'The Dutch Knight,' 'Sladkiy' respects his opponent but will be aiming for the knockout. In an interview with ONE Championship, Malykhin explained:

“And if I hit him the way he hit Vitaly [Bigdash], he’s unlikely to remember anything about his jiu-jitsu skills. Maybe later after the knockout when his team tries to bring him back to life, he might remember that he is a black belt in jiu-jitsu. But overall, he is not a bad fighter. He has a record of 16-0, which is impressive. He is a jiu-jitsu fighter, but this is MMA – let’s see how he adjusts.”

Anatoly Malykhin added that he believes the fight will not even reach the ground:

“There has never been any disrespect from me when it comes to de Ridder, but he doesn’t surprise me with anything. I know his strengths – endurance and a strong ground game, but he just doesn’t understand my level of fighting, and that’s his weak point. He thinks he can take me down, but he won’t succeed.