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Despite a rough upbringing in his native Russia, Anatoly Malykhin defied the odds and ascended atop the MMA pantheon following an unprecedented milestone last weekend.
‘Sladkiy’ became ONE Championship’s first-ever three-division world champion when he stopped Reinier de Ridder in three rounds at ONE 166 to claim the middleweight MMA crown.
Even ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was in awe of just how far Malykhin has come. The ONE head honcho shared during the ONE 166 post-event press conference:
“People don’t know Anatoly grew up in Siberia. Many times he had no food. He went to wrestling practice, he had no heat. He had no electricity in his house. His story is unbelievable. If you know his life story, it will move you to tears.”
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Given his struggle dealing with poverty at such a young age, it’s truly amazing to see the Russian powerhouse realize his dreams.
After all, things could have easily gone south for him, but Malykhin stayed the course and is now reaping the rewards of his hard work and dedication.
Meanwhile, Anatoly Malykhin upped his pristine MMA record to 14-0 with a brutal beating of de Ridder. He also kept his ridiculous 100 percent finishing rate with another highlight reel-worthy stoppage.
The replay of ONE 166 is available free for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada
Chatri Sityodtong says Anatoly Malykhin’s life story deserves a movie
Anatoly Malykhin overcame every obstacle there is on his path to greatness and has already inspired others to chase their dreams.
Chatri Sityodtong, for one, has witnessed the sacrifices ‘Sladkiy’ had to make along the way and also credited the Russian’s strong support system.
In the same interview, the ONE boss said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Malykhin’s life story on the big screens in the near future:
“When he met Anita in Moscow, they decided to sell everything and move to Thailand to chase a dream. It’s a beautiful love story. I love Anita and Leo their son and obviously Anatoly. It’s an incredible life story. One day, I think Russia is going to make a movie about Anatoly’s life.”
Watch the ONE 166 post-event presser below:
