“Eating less and training more” – Anatoly Malykhin reveals he has no issues making "easy" middleweight limit

Anatoly Malykhin is out to make history when he returns at ONE 166, but his first battle comes before fight night itself on March 1.

At ONE’s debut in Qatar, the undefeated two-division king will look to add a third belt to his collection when he faces Reinier de Ridder for a second time.

The Russian stopped ‘The Dutch Knight’ in their first meeting, where he claimed the light heavyweight title but now he is after his former foe’s middleweight crown.

Having competed at heavyweight last time out, that means Malykhin will need to drop two weight classes to make the limit for the contest, which is set to go down inside Qatar’s Lusail Sports Arena.

A huge question going into this matchup will be whether the challenger can make middleweight for the first time in his career, but he believes that there is no cause for concern.

Malykhin told the South China Morning Post that everything is going to plan and that he has nothing to worry about in regards to his preparations:

“I'm feeling good. I lost 15 kgs already. I'm just, it's easy actually. It's easy for me. I'm just eating less and training more and yeah I'm getting ready for my fight. I'm going to be in my best shape. I’m going to give you guys the best fight and the best show. Easy work.”

Watch the full interview below:

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Making middleweight will be a huge mental victory for Anatoly Malykhin

Before either man steps inside the circle on March 1 for a highly anticipated rematch, Anatoly Malykhin making weight will be on everyone’s minds.

This kind of pressure to drop down yet another weight class could weigh massively on another fighter’s shoulders but not for someone as confident as Malykhin.

Having already defeated de Ridder once before we handed him the first loss of his career, the Russian will already know that he has the wrestling and power to cause the defending champion some serious problems.

Stepping on the scale to successfully make weight will only increase his confidence that ONE 166 will end with him becoming the first-ever three-weight world champion in MMA history.

Check your local listings for more details on how to watch ONE 166: Qatar, which broadcasts live on March 1.