WATCH: Anatoly Malykhin makes history in Qatar, collects third world title in mauling of rival Reinier de Ridder

Doing the impossible and achieving ground-breaking feats were the things that Anatoly Malykhin envisioned when he joined ONE Championship in March 2021. Almost three years after making his promotional debut, Malykhin realized that dream.

'Sladkiy' became the first athlete in the world's largest martial arts organization to win three world titles in three different weight classes after his third-round TKO finish of Reinier de Ridder in March 2024 in the main event of ONE 166: Qatar inside Lusail Sports Arena.

Malykhin entered the Qatar card with the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight MMA world titles, and his win over De Ridder added the ONE middleweight MMA world title to his collection.

ONE Championship relived highlights of the Russian knockout artist on their Instagram:

"Anatoly Malykhin made history when he defeated Reinier de Ridder in Qatar to become ONE's first three-division MMA World Champion! 🤩 @anmalykhin"

Much like their first meeting in December 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 5, Malykhin immediately imposed his elite striking skills against 'The Dutch Knight' and successfully stopped all his takedown attempts to keep the fight on the feet.

The Golden Team athlete was piecing up De Ridder and landed multiple power shots on the former two-division MMA world champion. But there is only so much that a human body can take because the Combat Brothers representative finally crumbled in the third round.

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Anatoly Malykhin recounts his sparring session with current UFC star Khalil Rountree Jr.

Anatoly Malykhin was a relatively unknown fighter in the combat sports community a few years ago when he got the opportunity to spar with Khalil Rountree Jr. He revealed that this unlocked his untapped one-punch power when he landed a solid punch on Rountree Jr. that almost made him cry.

Since that incident, the 36-year-old athlete has honed his striking skills and become one of the best MMA fighters in the world.

North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE 166: Qatar via the free event replay.