Anatoly Malykhin ‘very hungry’ to become MMA’s first three-division world champion: “Time to create history here in Qatar”

Anatoly Malykhin has been counting down the days until fight night, and now, with March 1 just one sleep away, he is ecstatic to step back inside the Circle.

The undefeated Russian and double world champion headlines ONE 166: Qatar, which emanates live at the Lusail Sports Arena.

In the main event of the promotion’s debut show in Qatar, history beckons as Malykhin faces off with Reinier de Ridder for a second time, where beating ‘The Dutch Knight’ will see him claim the middleweight title and three-division world championship status.

Leaving behind a legacy for others to aspire to try and recreate is of great importance to the powerhouse phenom, and becoming the first three-weight world champion is the way to separate himself from the rest of the pack.

During a fight week interview with CountFilms TV, Anatoly Malykhin spoke about his excitement now that the time for talking is nearly over:

“I’m very hungry, very hungry for three belts, it’s time to create history here in Qatar, let’s go.”

Watch the full interview below:

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Anatoly Malykhin is made for these main event moments

Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and Anatoly Malykhin appears to get even better each time we see him compete under the ONE Championship banner.

Each time there have been more stakes added to his contests and more pressure on his shoulders, the light heavyweight and heavyweight champ rises to the occasion.

Not to mention the fact that last time he faced off with de Ridder was one of his most dominant and destructive performances yet back at ONE on Prime Video 5.

One aspect of this fight that needs no debate is whether Malykhin will show up and fight to the best of his ability, given his track record in these high-profile challenges.

ONE 166: Qatar will air live and free via Prime Video for North American viewers with an active subscription on March 1.