"I am the heavyweight champion" - Anatoly Malykhin says radar is locked in on reclaiming crown from 'Reug Reug' 

Two-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin has sights on only one thing heading into 2025: To regain his throne atop the heavyweight division.

'Sladkiy' lost his ONE heavyweight world title to 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane in the main event of ONE 169 inside the Lumpinee Stadium last month.

Malykhin entered the showdown with typical confidence, boldly claiming he would sleep the Senegalese.

Unfortunately, that was far from the case in Bangkok, Thailand.

'Reug Reug' controlled a bigger share of the five-round fight on his way to a split decision win and 26 pounds of gold.

In a recent clip uploaded on Red Corner MMA's YouTube channel, Anatoly Malykhin reflected on his first career loss and why the heavyweight crown remains his top priority for next year:

"I felt like I lacked some physique. Now I just need to focus. It felt great to win three belts, but I still need to focus on one. I am the heavyweight champion. I know where I made a mistake."

Watch the clip here:

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Anatoly Malykhin has all the tools needed to ace 'Reug Reug' rematch

Although 'Reug Reug' came out victorious in that contest, Anatoly Malykhin didn't go down without putting up a fight.

There were sections of the fight where the Russian behemoth caught Kane with his usual combinations and suffocating grappling.

But Kane simply didn't quit. Still, it's worth pointing out that 'Sladkiy' didn't look like his usual self.

Balancing between three weight brackets, with his last appearance being at middleweight, might have taken the sting away from Malykhin's stand-up arsenal.

And adjusting himself back into the heavyweight limit seemed to have drained his normally limitless gas tank.

If he does get a chance to run it back alongside 'Reug Reug' and take a better approach in fight camp, there's every reason to believe Malykhin could pull one back and regain his heavyweight crown.

As they all say, form is temporary, class is permanent. And that might be the best phrase to describe Malykhin's recent skid in a near-perfect run on the global stage.