“The more fights, the better for me” – Anatoly Malykhin’s simple plan to rule ONE Championship roster in 2024

Current two-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin plans to defend all of his titles in 2024, while also hoping to become MMA’s first-ever three-division king.

After claiming both the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight world titles in a dominant fashion, the Russian juggernaut will return to the Circle on March 1 as ONE Championship makes its highly anticipated debut in Qatar.

In the main event of ONE 166, ‘Sladkiy’ will run it back with Reinier de Ridder, almost16 months after their first meeting at ONE on Prime Video 5 in 2022.

That evening, the Russian juggernaut scored a brutal first-round knockout of ‘The Dutch Knight’ to take the Dutchman’s light heavyweight title. This time, he’ll look to snatch the last remaining belt that de Ridder has - the ONE middleweight MMA world championship.

Speaking with ONE Championship shortly after the announcement, Anatoly Malykhin shared how he plans to defend his titles and dominate the ONE roster from top to bottom in the new year. He said:

“First of all, the plan now is to see how I feel at 93 kilograms [205 pounds]...If it goes well and I feel fine, then I will defend all the belts. The more fights, the better for me. It’s simple. I love to fight.”

Will the move to middleweight affect Anatoly Malykhin’s power?

Anatoly Malykhin is currently undefeated, not just under the ONE banner, but in his overall mixed martial arts career.

Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that ‘Sladkiy’ has a 100 percent finish rate with an incredible 10 victories by way of knockout and another three via submission.

However, many fight fans are already questioning whether or not Malykhin’s signature power will be compromised by making such a significant weight cut.

Another factor that could come into play is cardio. Reinier de Ridder failed to secure a takedown against the Russian in their first meeting, but if Malykhin finds himself depleted following a strenuous weight cut, it could become much easier for ‘The Dutch Knight’ to drag his opponent to the ground.

That could prove to be disastrous for Malykhin, as de Ridder is one of MMA’s most dangerous submission specialists.

Check your local listings or visit ONE Championship's official website on how to watch ONE 166 from your location.