Even two-sport ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin was left in awe by Mansur Malachiev’s impressive promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 11 last weekend.
The still-undefeated Dagestani justified the massive hype surrounding him, needing less than a round to ragdoll and submit Jeremy Miado to announce his entry in the stacked strawweight division.
An ecstatic Malykhin, who was in attendance at Lumpinee Stadium to cheer on his Russian comrades, had nothing but praises for the 11-0 fighter shortly after the bout.
‘Sladkiy’ told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:
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“It was a wonderful fight! Once again, he proved that Dagestan wrestling carries a lot of weight, and everyone should take it seriously. It was a great debut with a win, what more do you need?”
After winning two titles in two divisions at Eagle FC, Malachiev was given a tough test right away against a streaking Miado.
‘The Jaguar’, after all, is a lethal striker, with his last four wins coming by way of incredible finishes.
The 32-year-old, though, imposed his relentless Dagestani-style pressure right off the bat, forcing the Filipino to fight off his back for most of the fight.
By doing so, the Universal Fighters standout was able to neutralize Miado's deadly strikes and do what he does best.
Malachiev landed a brutal knee on his downed foe and immediately latched on to his exposed neck for a textbook D’Arce choke finish.
The replay of Malachiev’s sensational debut is available for free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Meanwhile, Malykhin will look to make a statement victory of his own in his upcoming heavyweight world title unification war against heated rival Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 on June 23.