“He showed his spirit” – Anatoly Malykhin says Rustam Yunusov proved his worth in promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 54

Anatoly Malykhin paid a special interest to ONE Friday Fights 54 that went down on March 8.

Featuring on the card and making his ONE Championship debut was 17-year-old Russian prospect Rustam Yunusov.

The teenager put in a strong performance to earn his first win in the promotion, securing a decisive decision over Ramu Araya.

Yunusov is a member of ONE CHANCE, a stable of fighters that are managed by both Anatoly himself and his wife Anita.

The three-weight world champion reflected on the first showing for the highly regarded newcomer and thanked the promotion for giving Yunusov the opportunity to compete on the global stage.

Anatoly Malykhin shared:

“I would like to thank ONE Championship for giving Rustam this opportunity. He showed his spirit, his character, delighted the Russian audience with his beautiful [skills], and gave [the fans] a show.”

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Anatoly Malykhin is always trying to pay it forward for other athletes

Anatoly Malykhin is an absolute force of nature whenever he steps inside the circle, as was evident at ONE 166 where he made history as a three weight world champion.

One side to the triple champ that maybe some fans don’t always get to see is the incredible work he does to help the development of young Russian athletes that are looking to make their mark on martial arts.

His support of Yunusov is just one of many examples of how the undefeated champion is always working to try and positively influence other people’s careers.

Malykhin had help on his way up to the top of the sport and now he’s looking to reach back and pull others with him to the front of the pack.