“I think I can easily make the weight” - Anatoly Malykhin confident he can make light heavyweight limit

Interim ONE heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin is on a path towards double-champ status as he challenges for the light-heavyweight throne at ONE on Prime Video 5 this weekend.

'Sladkiy' will move down to 225 pounds to challenge current ONE double-champ Renier 'The Dutch Knight' de Ridder for one of his belts. As if it's not hard enough to beat the undefeated de Ridder, Malykhin has to move down at least twenty pounds to do it.

Much of the concern lies in Anatoly Malykhin's ability to move down to light-heavyweight and still be dangerous after weight depletion. Losing weight and muscle mass can cause loss of power, which is a vital part of Malykhin's arsenal.

In an interview with ONE Championship, 'Sladkiy' addressed the weight issues and put all worries to bed:

"We hired a dietitian, who monitors my diet and counts calories. I'm already down from 116 to 106 kilograms. I've eliminated all sweets, dairy products, bread, rolls. My ration per day is 2,500 calories, enough for me. I think I can easily make the weight."

All this talk won't mean much unless Malykhin does make weight and shows no weakness or decline in performance come fight day. All we can do is wait to find out.

ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin broadcasts live on Friday, December 2, and is free for fans in the United States and Canada with an Amazon Prime subscription.

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Reinier de Ridder plans to finish Anatoly Malykhin regardless if he makes weight or not

One person who doesn't care if Malykhin makes the light heavyweight limit or not is the double-champ himself, Renier de Ridder. 'The Dutch Knight' doesn't seem to care what weight 'Sladkiy' is on fight day as he feels that it won't make a difference. When asked about Anatoly Malykhin's perceived weight advantage over him, de Ridder responded with:

“That’s not something I put any energy in. It’s not something I dirty my mind with. I don’t care. Whatever weight he shows up, I’ll finish him regardless. It’s the same thing with his friend [Vitaly] Bigdash. He struggled to make weight and I think he missed like six times before finally making the weight.”

Though these are big words coming from the undefeated ONE two-division world champ, he does have a reputation for backing up his words. All but two of his victories came by way of stoppage. Come December 2, we'll find out if 'The Dutch Knight' can put his money where his mouth is yet again.