"A true ONE champion" - Fans marvel at the absolute brutal spectacle Anatoly Malykhin unleashed on Reinier de Ridder

Three-division ONE MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin thoroughly dominated Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166: Qatar this past March to claim the ONE middleweight MMA world championship.

'The Dutch Knight', taking cues from his defeat to Malykhin over the ONE light heavyweight MMA crown in December 2022, used his range advantage to keep Malykhin at bay. However, Malykhin waded through his strikes and eventually battered De Ridder into retiring from the fight in the third round.

Watch their ONE 166 rematch, which ONE shared on YouTube:

Fans gave 'Sladkiy' his well-earned flowers in the comments section:

"S[o] excited about his art, so humble and respectful of his opponents and able to handle the pressure of managing his weight across three weight divisions. A true ONE Champion for the ages."

"What a fight and what a genuinely nice guy 😎🥊"

"Wow he can Fight, And Never Winded."

"We Love Malykhin ❤️❤️❤️"

"Anatoly is Mike Tyson of MMA."

Screenshot of fans' comments. [ONE Championship/YouTube, screenshot]

Malykhin will have his first defense of the ONE heavyweight MMA world championship against Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' on Nov. 8 inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Danial Williams shares Anatoly Malykhin's biggest advantage over 'Reug Reug'

Three-sport star Danial Williams believes Anatoly Malykhin will easily defend the ONE heavyweight MMA world championship at ONE 169.

Speaking exclusively with Sportskeeda MMA, 'Mini T' shared:

"Anatoly Malykhin for sure. He's more technically sound. Reug Reug's a bit wild and Anatoly - you can't stop his wrestling."

ONE 169 will air live from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The event will be free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.