Double-champ Anatoly Malykhin says his coach has been ‘like a father’ to him

Double-world champion ‘Sladkiy’ Anatoly Malykhin took the time to publicly acknowledge his coach for his role in making him an MMA success story.

The Russian superstar has surpassed all expectations within the last couple of years. Since the start of 2022, Malykhin won three golden-plated belts in his last three fights all thanks to head Tiger Muay Thai trainer Johnny Hutchinson.

Following his recent world title victory at ONE Friday Fights 22, the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight world champion took the time to thank his coach John Hutchinson with the following heartfelt message on Instagram:

“I want to say to Johnny now: Coach, without you there would not have been these belts and these victories! Thank you for doing your job 100% thank you for your messages at 6 am, for not regretting and for believing in me. Thank you for giving me most of your life without looking back and taking care of me like a father.”

Malykhin continued to add:

“In Russia, they say that the coach is not the one who teaches, but who you learn from. It's definitely about you, Johnny. I'm learning from you, you're a legend ❤️.”

Anatoly Malykhin has officially become the new face of the heavyweight division after successfully unifying his interim belt against Arjan Bhullar on June 23 at ONE Friday Fights 22.

The 35-year-old slugger extended his winning streak 13-0 when the referee stopped the contest at 2:42 minutes in the third round. Malykhin delivered another high-paced performance filled with striking action from start to finish. He took control of the pace at an early stage with his forward pushing pressure, deadly body punches, and lateral movements.

It was only a matter of time before the contest was stopped after Bhullar stopped defending himself from the heavy ground-and-pounds Malykhin delivered in the third round.

Now, the Russian stalwart could now face either Reinier de Ridder for the middleweight strap or face the heavyweight winner of Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida vs. Oumar Kane.