Dmitry Menshikov says rough childhood environment toughened him up as a fighter

Fighters throughout history have often credited the environment they grew up in as a vital factor in their overall development, and Dmitry Menshikov is one such athlete.

Menshikov grew up in the cold city of Prokopyevsk in Russia. He's credited those sub-zero winters and the tough childhood that he had for molding the fighter that he is today.

The Russian slugger will bring that steely determination when he makes his ONE Championship debut against two-sport world champion Regian Eersel at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov this Friday, US primetime.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Menshikov said he and his fellow fighters from Prokopyevsk have learned to live with the harsh winters by working in the gym until their arms fall off.

“We have a harsh winter, temperatures may go down to minus-40 degrees, but we don’t get cold because we warm up in the gym. We are kept warm by the workouts and the screams of our coach.”

That dogged personality eventually made Menshikov one of the most fearsome strikers in the world today.

The 25-year-old has a professional record of 27-1 with 19 knockouts to his name. Menshikov also enters ONE Championship with an 11-fight winning streak.

Menshikov, however, is headed straight to the lion’s den in his debut.

Eersel is the reigning ONE lightweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion, and his run in ONE Championship is nothing short of spectacular. ‘The Immortal’ is 9-0 in the organization and is 7-0 in his world title fights.

ONE Fight Night 11 emanates from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and will be broadcast live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.