Anatoly Malykhin honored to be aligned with Russian greats Fedor Emelianenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov

Three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin comes from a long line of distinguished Russian martial artists.

Growing up, 'Sladkiy' looked up to the iconic Fedor 'The Last Emperor' Emilianenko and was also inspired by the greatness of the undefeated Khabib 'The Eagle' Nurmagomedov.

Now, the ONE heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight MMA kingpin can proudly align himself with these legendary names.

In an interview with MMA Junkie on YouTube, Malykhin shared how honored he is to be compared to both Russian warriors, who will go down in history as all-time greats.

He said:

"Well, I'm very glad that right now I'm already compared to some of the best [of all-time] in Russia and the current best in Russia. Of course, probably the main and best-known fighters, those who have amazing legacies are Fedor Emelianenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov."

Watch the full interview here:

At 36 years old, Anatoly Malykhin has achieved a feat like no other against the best fighters in the world's largest martial arts organization. His undefeated 14-0 record with the same amount of finishes already speaks for itself.

Only time will tell if the Russian conqueror will scale even greater heights and perhaps leave a lasting legacy as Emilianenko and Nurmagomedov.

Anatoly Malykhin proud to lead Russia's new generation of fighters alongside Islam Makhachev

While Emilianenko and Nurmagomedov are retired from the game, Islam Makhachev now carries the distinction as Russia's active pound-for-pound great.

The UFC Lightweight world champion has already taken notice of Malykhin's prowess, calling him "the most dangerous guy on the planet".

Anatoly Malykhin, for his part, believes Makhachev is Russia's best at the moment, but argues he's not that far behind. He added:

"Now we're talking about Islam Makhachev. So probably, I'm somewhere close to them. My legacy is just beginning."