“All the best things in my sporting career” - Anatoly Malykhin takes loss in stride, congratulates ‘Reug Reug’ post-ONE 169

Anatoly Malykhin may have lost one of his three world titles, but he hasn't let the defeat dampen his spirits.

The Russian superstar relinquished the ONE heavyweight MMA world title by the closest of margins to Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane in the main event of ONE 169 this past weekend at Lumpinee Stadium.

Malykhin suffered a split decision loss, his first career defeat in MMA, following a grueling five-round tussle against Kane in Bangkok.

Taking to Instagram, Anatoly Malykhin took the defeat in stride and thanked ONE Championship for the constant wave of opportunities that made him arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Malykhin wrote:

"Thank you @onechampionship because I have a job and all the best things in my sporting career happened here and with every member of the team 💪🏼 Thank you @yodchatri for all the opportunities ❤️ @reugreug congrats on the win 👊🏻"

Malykhin still holds the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world titles and remains one of the most lethal knockout machines on the planet.

'Sladkiy' is 14-1 in his professional career, 6-1 in ONE Championship, with an absurd 100 percent finish rate.

All six of his wins in ONE Championship have also come via devastating knockout.

Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can watch the replay of ONE 169 for free and on demand.

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Anatoly Malykhin glad to live his dreams with ONE Championship

Anatoly Malykhin is the perfect example of someone who rose through negativity and lived out his dream in MMA.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the reigning two-division MMA world champion said he got to enjoy the life he's always wanted since he first fell in love with martial arts.

Malykhin always knew that he was destined for MMA greatness, and he found that when he captured the ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world titles:

"One of my dreams, I'm not saying it's something very high for me, it's just the work I love. Of course, there are other things like, for example, when I hug my son and my wife every day, I'm much happier than when I hug my belt, it's not comparable. But it's the work I love, and I'm very happy I was able to achieve one of my dreams, so to say."