“He’ll want to hug me” - Anatoly Malykhin predicts ‘Reug Reug’ will grapple once he tastes his power

ONE heavyweight MMA world title challenger 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane has vowed to knock out Anatoly Malykhin for the first time in his career.

The unbothered three-division MMA kingpin, though, has laughed off the Senegalese bruiser's bold proclamations ahead of their main event showdown at ONE 169 this coming Friday.

Moreover, Malykhin is quite skeptical that 'Reug Reug' will stand and bang with him once he feels the wrath of his mind-numbing power.

Speaking to ONE ahead of his first heavyweight MMA world title defense on Nov. 8 at Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium, Malykhin said:

"I’m sure that after two or three of my punches, he’ll want to hug me, run towards me, try to take me down. But my defense is strong, I won’t let him, and I’ll just break him down."

While initially coming from a wrestling background, Anatoly Malykhin's striking, particularly his boxing, has evolved immensely over the years.

'Sladkiy's destructive fists are made even more lethal since it's now being set up with precision, technique, and elite footwork.

Plus, if 'Reug Reug' does decide to turn this into a grappling war, we all know the triple champ is no slouch in that department either.

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Anatoly Malykhin confident he can put anyone to sleep

We've seen several undefeated fighters come and go in MMA, but there's nobody who has achieved what Anatoly Malykhin has done so far.

Apart from claiming the heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight MMA world titles, the Russian destroyer also holds an absurd 100 percent finishing rate in 14 career victories.

According to Malykhin, his unreal ability to separate people from their consciousness is a product of his blood, sweat, and tears behind closed doors:

"Boxing is something I work on every day, training to make sure that when I land that right, they go to sleep," Malykhin proudly told ONE.

Prime Video subscribers in North America can witness ONE 169: Malykhin vs 'Reug Reug' free of charge as it happens live in US primetime.