WATCH: Anatoly Malykhin returns home to Russia after years in Asia to give back to the youth

ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin has returned to his homeland of Russia, part of his push to give back and inspire the youth.

After years in Asia, ‘Sladkiy’ has decided to pay his native Kemerovo a visit to touch base with his fans and share his story of success.

Anatoly Malykhin’s team documented the meet-and-greet with the fans, posting a video clip of it on Instagram, with a caption which reads when translated:

“We share the atmosphere of Anatoly Sergeevich's meeting with fans in his native Kemerovo)) Children are our bright future ❤️”

Check the video post below:

Anatoly Malykhin, now 35, has had an amazing run in mixed martial arts, undefeated in 13 fights to date since debuting as a pro in 2016.

Eight of his victories came when he was still competing in the Russian circuit and the last five under ONE Championship beginning 2021.

In ONE Championship, he boasts of a 100% finishing rate with his last three victories all having world title implications.

Anatoly Malykhin defeated Belarusian Kirill Grishenko in February 2022 by second-round knockout (punch) to win the interim ONE heavyweight world title. Then before the year ended in December, he seized the ONE light heavyweight world title from Dutch champion Reinier de Ridder by first-round KO (punches).

Last June, ‘Sladkiy’ unified the ONE heavyweight belts by finishing erstwhile division king Arjan Bhullar of India by technical knockout (punches) in the third round.

He is looking forward to continuing to dominate the heavyweight class and taking on all-comers for his world title belts while also seeking other lanes to conquer.