“I’ve always looked at life with a smile” - Anatoly Malykhin says overcoming adversity is nothing new for him

Anatoly Malykhin is a walking epitome of resilience. The reigning ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world champion overcame obscurity growing up in his small hometown of Kemerovo, Russia, to become one of the most dominant figures in mixed martial arts today.

After achieving the highest of highs when he became the promotion's first-ever three-division MMA world champion, Malykhin is now facing the biggest setback of his distinguished career.

'Sladkiy' suffered his first defeat in 15 professional bouts, surrendering his heavyweight MMA world title to new champion 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane last year. Despite his fall from grace, Anatoly Malykhin is confident the sun will shine again.

After all, conquering obstacles is nothing new for the enigmatic 37-year-old martial artist. He told ONE Championship:

"I think tough times are something we create ourselves. I haven’t had any. I’ve always stayed positive — even when I didn’t have money, and now, when I’ve got more opportunities. I’ve always looked at life with a smile."

The Russian destroyer continued:

"I always believed things would work out, always worked hard. I never cheated anyone to get ahead. I was happy riding the bus back in the day — and I’m just as happy now driving a Mercedes."

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Anatoly Malykhin reveals his biggest regret in 'Reug Reug' fight

Seeing his undefeated record shattered was indeed a humbling moment for Anatoly Malykhin. While losing 26 pounds of gold stung, 'Sladkiy' admitted it wasn't the most painful part of that loss to 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane.

In the same interview with ONE, the two-division MMA kingpin expressed disappointment that he didn't live up to his usual standards and let his fans down.

"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," he said.