Aung La N Sang says there’s nothing to dislike about Anatoly Malykhin

ONE Championship veteran Aung La N Sang believes there is nobody more deserving of success than newly crowned two-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin.

Malykhin shocked the world with his incredible first-round knockout of the previously undefeated Reinier de Ridder in the ONE on Prime Video 5 main event. Already the interim heavyweight world champion, Malykhin made history by becoming the latest two-division titleholder with his capture of the light heavyweight crown.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Aung La N Sang was thrilled to see Malykhin achieve such a high level of success in a relatively short period of time inside the circle:

“He’s also a humble family man. A great guy. I’ve met him many times. I’m very happy for him. He deserves everything he worked for. How can you not like him? When you meet him outside, he’s the sweetest guy. Then he’s a savage in the ONE circle.”

As 2022 comes to a close, the ONE Championship MMA Fighter of the Year is content to sit back, relax and enjoy his win over Reinier de Ridder. But when 2023 hits, Malykhin will be preparing for his first bout of the new year.

No official announcements have been made by Malykhin or the promotion, but rumors heavily suggest fans will finally see the long-awaited title unification bout between himself and reigning heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar.

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Aung La N Sang looking for a spot in ONE Championship’s 2023 lineup

After getting back into the win column with a big first-round knockout over Yushin ‘Thunder’ Okami at ONE 163, Aung La N Sang is looking to make a big splash in 2023.

With ONE Championship headed to the United States for the first time in promotional history, ‘The Burmese Python’ would love to be part of the historic event on May 5.

Not only is Aung La N Sang eyeing a trip to the 1stBank Center in Colorado this spring, but he would also like the opportunity to compete in the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Thailand.

“I would love to be on one of those cards. It would be amazing. As a fighter, for us to go to Japan and compete in the sumo arena, that was historical and amazing. To do that in Lumpinee Stadium would be amazing as well... It’s one of those things that you can only dream of. Not many fighters can say they fought in Lumpinee Stadium.”

ONE Championship’s first event in the historic stadium goes down on January 20 with ONE Lumpinee 1. The main event will feature bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao defending his title against Alaverdi Ramazanov.