“Hopefully they can run it back” - Demetrious Johnson wants rematch between Anatoly Malykhin and ‘Reug Reug’ inside the Circle

Demetrious Johnson hopes to see Anatoly Malykhin and Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane run back their heavyweight clash inside the Circle.

In November, 'Reug Reug' shocked the world, handing Malykhin the first loss of his mixed martial arts career and taking the Russian's heavyweight world title in the process.

With the Senegalese sensation claiming his first 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold via a closely contested split decision, everyone expects the two behemoths to run it back in 2025.

Looking ahead to their inevitable rematch, former ONE flyweight MMA world titleholder Demetrious Johnson hopes the two will square off inside a cage the second time around.

"That’s the thing about Anatoly, is that he was a three-divisional champion," Johnson said on his MightyCast podcast. "The biggest thing for me was like, three belts? How do you defend, what belt do you defend? It’s so crazy because it’s never been done in my lifetime in mixed martial arts."

He added:

"He was a three-divisional champion and taking on 'Reug Reug.' That was a great fight, back and forth. There was a little kind of complication with the ring and hopefully they can run it back in a cage to see how that fight plays out. And it was a great fight."

---

ONE VP Rich Franklin shares Demetrious Johnson's hope for Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' rematch

While appearing on Johson's podcast, former fighter and current ONE Championship Vice President Rich 'Ace' Franklin, also shared his excitement for a rematch between Malykhin and 'Reug Reug' inside the Circle rather than in a ring.

"I'll be interested in watching a rematch between Anatoly and 'Reug Reug,' especially if we could do that one in the cage instead of the ring," Franklin said while speaking with Johnson.

With the loss, Malykhin dropped to 14-1 in his mixed martial arts career and was stripped of his status as a three-division ONE world champion. Of course, 'Sladkiy' still holds both the ONE light heavyweight and middleweight titles — two belts he still plans on defending once he settles some business with 'Reug Reug' first.

If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.