Russian slugger Artem Belakh says he can count on support from champ-champ Anatoly Malykhin at ONE Fight Night 18

Fourth-ranked ONE bantamweight contender Artem Belakh will ride into his ONE Fight Night 18 war with Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu with the utmost confidence. After all, he has two-division ONE world champion and fellow Russian compatriot Anatoly Malykhin watching his back.

‘Sladkiy’, of course, has vividly expressed his support for Russian athletes under ONE’s roster, and often corners his countrymen. If he’s not a registered second in some events, Malykhin will enthusiastically cheer on his friends from the sidelines. That’s just the kind of guy he is.

Belakh, for his part, is extremely appreciative of Malykhin’s selfless gesture. He thanked the double champ along with his other cornermen for their full support in an exclusive interview with ONE.

“My teammate and training partners are Ruslan Kumakhov, Sergey Khandozhko, and of course the ONE double champion Anatoly Malykhin. If any of these guys can't make it, my wife will fill in. She will be around during this camp, which is also an important change.”

ONE Fight Night 18 will air live in US primetime this Friday, January 12, from the 'Mecca of Muay Thai’ Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. The full card is free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Artem Belakh eyeing redemption against Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu at ONE Fight Night 18

After an impressive victory against Leandro Issa in his ONE debut, Belakh hit a roadblock in the form of knockout artist Kwon Won Il.

After imposing his grappling pedigree early on, Belakhh ran out of steam and got finished by ‘Pretty Boy’ in the second round of their clash at ONE Fight Night 11 last year.

Now, the 10th Planet Krasnodar and Tiger Muay Thai representative is eager to showcase the improvements he made by beating Baatarkhuu and keeping his place in the top five.