“I bulked up again” - Anatoly Malykhin shares physique update in bid to regain heavyweight MMA crown from ‘Reug Reug’ 

Two-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin is returning to the physique he's most comfortable in.

Before collecting the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight world titles, 'Sladkiy' first wreaked havoc in the heavyweight MMA ranks.

Malykhin toned down a bit physically to make history and become a three-division conqueror. Admittedly, however, the Russian destroyer didn't feel like himself in his shocking world title loss to new heavyweight MMA kingpin 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane at ONE 169 last year.

In a bid to regain his lost throne and get back to three-division supremacy, Malykhin went back to the gym to add more mass and muscle to deal with the Senegalese giant's physicality.

The 37-year-old double champion told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:

“I’ve been focusing more on strength and conditioning. I’ve been doing a lot of strength training and working with weights. I bulked up again and hit the numbers I had back when I was fighting at heavyweight.”

To be fair, Anatoly Malykhin still had his devastating knockout power even at a lighter weight class. Still, it's evident that the One Chance Team and Tiger Muay Thai affiliate feel better with more bulk, especially against an intimidating physical specimen like 'Reug Reug'.

Fans want to see Anatoly Malykhin vs 'Reug Reug' II

If there's a former champion more deserving of an immediate rematch, it's certainly Anatoly Malykhin.

Before his upset defeat at the hands of 'Reug Reug', the Russian powerhouse raced to a 14-0 record with all those victories coming by way of finishes.

While nothing is set in stone yet, a sequel between these two larger-than-life behemoths is inevitable, especially given the close nature of their first match-up.

One thing's for sure, Malykhin will be going all out if he gets another crack at the heavyweight MMA world champion.