“Days of fear in his head” - Anatoly Malykhin vows to send ‘Reug Reug’ to the shadow realm in the first round at ONE 169

ONE heavyweight MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin is counting down the days until he gets his hands on Senegalese challenger Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane, whom he is looking to finish early in their scheduled title match next month.

'Sladkiy' will defend the heavyweight gold for the first time at ONE 169 on Nov. 8 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Out to dethrone him is 'Reug Reug', who has been streaking with four straight victories,

In an interview with ONE Championship, Anatoly Malykhin expressed his excitement in defending the heavyweight MMA title and how is looking to make it a successful one with an explosive finish.

The 36-year-old Russian juggernaut said:

"We just wait [a few] days, [a few more] days of fear in his head, and then a first-round knockout."

Anatoly Malykhin became the undisputed ONE heavyweight MMA world champion in June last year when he unified the division's title belts with a third-round TKO of former champ Arjan Bhullar.

Apart from the heavyweight world title, Malykhin also holds the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA championships, which he both took from former double champion Reinier de Ridder .

ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' will be aired live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Anatoly Malykhin credits MMA success to a lot of hard work

Three-division ONE MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin is proud of his achievements, which he attributes to a lot of hard work in developing his game.

He highlighted this in an interview with ONE Championship, conveying how combining talent with the necessary work has done significant wonders for him.

Malykhin said:

"Well, firstly, it's not about talent. I work very hard, and I believe only hard work leads me to these victories."

Malykhin has been undefeated in 14 professional fights to date, the last six in ONE Championship, where he has dominated since coming on board in March 2021.

It is something he looks to sustain when he defends the heavyweight MMA gold at ONE 169 on Nov. 8 against Senegalese challenger Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane.