“It wasn’t a question” - Fabricio Andrade never doubted Anatoly Malykhin’s chances against Reinier de Ridder

Reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade was impressed with Anatoly Malykhin's history-making performance at ONE 166 in Qatar.

After winning both the light heavyweight and undisputed heavyweight MMA world titles, Malykhin sought history inside the Lusail Sports Arena, challenging former foe Reinier de Ridder for the Dutchman's middleweight MMA belt. Though it took 'Sladkiy' a little longer than it did in his first meeting with 'The Dutch Knight' in December 2022, the result was the same.

Malykhin dispatched De Ridder in the third round to become the first-ever three-division ONE world champion.

Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA, Fabricio Andrade believes that making the middleweight limit was likely harder for Malykhin than the actual fight itself.

"When he was fighting de Ridder again, I was like, you know, Anatoly Malykhin is a very determined athlete," Andrade said. "When he said he could make weight, it wasn't a question of whether he could beat de Ridder. I think making the limit was the tougher aspect."

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Anatoly Malykhin insists his business is not over with Reinier de Ridder

Despite owning two decisive victories over Reinier de Ridder, Anatoly Malykhin believes that their paths will cross again once they both take care of some business elsewhere.

"I think he's a solid fighter," Malykhin told ONE Championship. "He still deserves another chance, but first, he needs to do two fights and get on a winning streak. And I need a heavyweight fight, then one at light heavyweight, and then I'm ready for a middleweight trilogy. The feud is not over."

Are you interested in seeing Malykhin complete his trilogy with 'The Dutch Knight' or is it time for both fighters to move on?

If you missed any of the action or just want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, you can watch the ONE 166: Qatar replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America.