Fifth-ranked ONE Championship strawweight MMA contender Mansur Malachiev of Russia scored the biggest win of his career when he took out no.2-ranked 'Little Giant' Bokang Masunyane of South Africa last weekend at ONE Fight Night 25 on Prime Video.
And he has three-division MMA world champion 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin to thank.
The 32-year-old Malachiev took home a comprehensive three-round unanimous decision victory over Masunyane, and he felt empowered with Malykhin in his corner.
Speaking to veteran reporter Nick Atkin of Bangkok Post, Malachiev talked about the impact of having the ONE heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight MMA king in his corner giving him advice.
The Industrial Fighters star said:
"He’s a legend because he has three belts, so for me it was an additional motivation to have him in the corner and have him supporting me."
Needless to say, Malachiev was absolutely on point against Masunyane, and likely boosted his stock in the division's top five rankings.
ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II on Prime Video took place live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, last Saturday, October 5, 2024.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Mansur Malachiev admits Bokang Masunyane was a tough nut to crack: "It took real strength to overcome him"
Despite Mansur Malachiev's comprehensive unanimous decision victory over Bokang Masunyane at ONE Fight Night 25 on Prime Video, the 32-year-old Russian says he had to dig deep to beat the South African.
He told Nick Atkin:
"Injuries don’t really matter to me. My goal was to win and I was coming for the victory. My opponent was a very, very hard one, and it took real strength for me to overcome him."
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Mansur Malachiev's next fight.