"I hope it happens soon" - Anatoly Malykhin wants quick turnaround for 'Reug Reug' rematch

Two-division ONE MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin would love to have an opportunity to reclaim the heavyweight MMA crown after losing it to Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane via split decision at ONE 169 this past Friday, Nov. 8, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

In an exclusive interview with the world's largest martial arts promotion, a determined 'Sladkiy' staked his claim for a rematch, saying:

"Absolutely. I hope it happens soon. Matchmakers mentioned it might be in March, but the rematch isn't confirmed yet; it's still about 50/50."

Entering his first defense of the heavyweight MMA crown at ONE 169, Malykhin owned an unbeaten record through 14 fights with as many finishes in his career — six under the ONE banner.

However, Malykhin had never faced an opponent like Kane. His near-unstoppable wrestling abilities and vastly improved striking game led to him earning three TKO wins in five victories since his promotional debut in January 2021.

While the Golden Team fighter no longer holds 26 pounds of heavyweight MMA gold, he still has the ONE light heavyweight and middleweight MMA world championships around his shoulders.

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'Reug Reug' speaks on his career-defining victory over Anatoly Malykhin

Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane feels the amount of time and effort he has invested in his career have been validated after supplanting Anatoly Malykhin as the new ONE heavyweight MMA world champion at ONE 169.

During the post-event press conference, Kane declared:

"People who are saying that actually, they don't really know me. I trained six months really hard for this, and I knew that I was going to beat him."

Watch the entire press conference here:

Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch ONE 169 on demand.