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Losing admittedly felt like the end of the world for formerly undefeated Anatoly Malykhin.
The Russian juggernaut surrendered his ONE heavyweight MMA world title against 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane in one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts last year.
Apart from the sting of losing 26 pounds of gold, what bothered Malykhin the most was that he wasn't able to perform to his usual standards.
'Sladkiy' admitted that he wasn't pleased with how he fought against the Senegalese behemoth and still feels he let a lot of people down.
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The reigning ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world champion told the promotion in a recent interview:
"More than anyone, I want to fight Reug Reug again. I think a lot of things didn’t go the way I wanted during the prep for our previous fight. But I never backed out — I stepped in and fought."
The 37-year-old powerhouse continued:
"The only thing I felt bad about afterward wasn’t even the loss — it was that I couldn’t put on an exciting fight. I’m used to delivering a show."
Anatoly Malykhin is indeed must-see TV, with all 14 of his career victories coming by way of stunning finishes.
The two-division MMA champ, however, didn't have the usual spring in his step against 'Reug Reug' and that off night certainly came with major repercussions.
Anatoly Malykhin says loss to 'Reug Reug' made him evaluate his career
Anatoly Malykhin went back to the drawing board after absorbing the first loss of his storied career. While the Russian reinforced his skills in training, it seemed like his body simply needed to rest after the wars he's had over the years.
The double champ told ONE Championship:
"After my last fight, I realized my body needed rest. I hadn’t really taken a break in five years — training two or even three times a day. Now, I’ve finally been able to take some time off, live a normal, even ordinary life for a bit."
Malykhin added:
"But I never stopped training — I was still running, stretching, sparring, working on my stamina. I just love sports too much to stop completely."
