"A big future" - Anatoly Malykhin has been impressed so far by Kade Ruotolo's MMA transition

Three-division ONE MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin is joining the many fans who have been mightily impressed with ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo's transition to MMA.

Malykhin shared in an interview with ONE:

"I don't know Kade's opponent too well, but I see a big future in MMA for Ruotolo. In his last fight, he surprisingly chose to stand and strike, which was unexpected — I thought he'd go straight to grappling. But he kept his distance, showed solid striking, and proved he's seriously committed to developing in MMA. He has a sharp mind and high fight IQ, so I think he'll have no issues in this bout, either."

The 21-year-old Atos product had his MMA debut this past June at ONE 167, where he initially indulged Blake Cooper in a striking showdown before working his way to a rear-naked choke for the victory.

Ruotolo will be gunning for his second MMA win when he faces Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' on Friday, Nov. 8, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Anatoly Malykhin also set to compete at ONE 169

While many are excited to see how Kade Ruotolo will fare against Ahmed Mujtaba, Anatoly Malykhin will be defending the ONE heavyweight MMA crown against Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane in the main event of ONE 169.

'Sladkiy' and Kane's rivalry has reached a boiling point entering the marquee event after criticizing each other on social media for the past year.

Because of this, the behemoths' titanic clash at ONE 169 over 26 pounds of heavyweight MMA gold could ultimately end up receiving Fight of the Night honors.

ONE 169 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.