“I never back down from a challenge” - Anatoly Malykhin hopes to run it back with ‘Reug Reug’ before defending his two belts

Two-division MMA king Anatoly Malykhin hopes to settle unfinished business with 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane before returning to the middleweight and light heavyweight ranks.

'Sladkiy' saw his three-division supremacy come to an end at ONE 169, after the Senegalese giant unseated him from the heavyweight MMA throne in arguably one of the biggest upsets in MMA in 2024.

While Anatoly Malykhin understands his responsibilities as the overlord of two MMA divisions, he believes he's due for a rematch with the new heavyweight MMA world champion, given the close nature of their first match.

The Russian mauler said in an exclusive interview with ONE Championship:

“After that [rematch with 'Reug Reug'], I want to defend my belt twice. Whoever ONE Championship decides to match me with, I’ll fight. I never back down from a challenge.”

Malykhin and 'Reug Reug's' grueling five-round slugfest was truly a war of attrition between two polarizing figures. In the end, the underdog from Senegal was able to outwork the 36-year-old powerhouse to secure the split-decision nod from the judges.

Meanwhile, it's back to the drawing board for Malykhin, who saw his unbeaten 14-0 run come to an end.

If there's anyone deserving an immediate rematch, it's certainly the two-division kingpin, who finished all six of his opponents in the home of martial arts before his setback against 'Reug Reug'.

Anatoly Malykhin admits he was too one-dimensional against 'Reug Reug'

While he entered MMA coming from a wrestling background, Anatoly Malykhin made huge strides with his boxing skills over the years. However, 'Sladkiy' believes his overreliance on his improved striking led to his downfall against Kane.

Unable to take the Senegalese wrestler down, Malykhin opted to let his hands go and uncharacteristically did not mix things up with his grappling like he normally does. A regretful Malykhin shared in an earlier vlog from Red Corner MMA:

"He won tonight. He did his job well. And I just messed it up. Went in there believing I was a good boxer, but it’s MMA."