ONE Championship: “Solid, strong, good wrestling base” - Anatoly Malykhin says Ben Tynan could be future contender in the heavyweight division

Reigning and undisputed ONE light heavyweight and middleweight MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin is excited for a potential new player in the heavyweight division in ONE Championship.

Malykhin, the former ONE heavyweight MMA world champion, recently offered some amazing praise for Canadian rising star Ben Tynan. Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Malykhin listed down all the positives he sees in Tynan's game.

'Sladkiy' told the world's largest martial arts organization:

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"He’s a good guy. Solid, strong, good wrestling base. He puts a lot of focus on grappling. I’ve seen his fights — he’s got cardio for all three rounds, solid takedowns. He’s got decent wrestling skills, but nothing more than that."

Tynan is currently unbeaten in ONE Championship, and the 31-year-old has shown some incredible skills in the Circle so far.

Meanwhile, Malykhin is hard at work, working tirelessly for his return, which is expected to come later this year. The Russian stalwart is gunning for a rematch against Senegalese wrestling sensation Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane, whom he lost to late last year and surrendered his heavyweight gold.

Anatoly Malykhin embraces adversity following loss to 'Reug Reug': "I’ve always stayed positive"

'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin isn't one to dwell on his losses, even though he's only experienced it one time inside the Circle.

The Russian veteran says setbacks are what make life worth winning, and he looks at every hurdle as an opportunity to rise above, without taking shortcuts. Malykhin told ONE:

"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. 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."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Anatoly Malykhin's next fight.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Anurag Mitra