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Anatoly Malykhin saw unprecedented heights in his career, but the Russian knockout machine admitted that he never dreamed of getting to this point.
‘Sladkiy’ is now considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world after he captured the ONE Undisputed Heavyweight title in his unification bout against Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22.
While he’s on a rarity, Malykhin said in a recent Instagram Live video that he’s never seen himself reach this kind of success.
The World Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion ONE said:
“Guys, where did I come from? I’m just an ordinary scraper from Kemerovo. I swear, I was running around the neighborhood, and I didn’t know what MMA was. Can you imagine? I just got so far. “
Malykhin was a decorated wrestler in his native Russia, and began his career in MMA when he was 28 years old. Although he started out a bit later in the sport, the 35-year-old has leapfrogged at an unprecedented pace.
He holds a perfect 13-0 record, with all 13 of his victories coming via knockout or submission. In 2021, Malykhin makes it to the ONE Championship, instantly becoming a fan favorite.
Malykhin quickly tore up the heavyweight landscape in ONE and secured temporary gold when he flattened Kirill Grishchenko in February 2022.
While waiting for Bhullar to recover from the injuries and settle his contract issues, Malykhin decided to drop a weight class and challenge Reinier de Ridder for the ONE Light Heavyweight title.
Despite going down a division, Malykhin looked as sharp as ever and beat De Ridder to capture the light heavyweight throne via first-round KO in December 2022.
Malykhin then settled his rivalry with Bhullar last week at ONE Friday Fights 22. Leaving nothing to chance, he finished Malykhin Bhullar in the third round and added ONE’s Undisputed World Heavyweight Title to his collection.
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