“I’ve been lifting a lot” - Anatoly Malykhin added more muscle since in bid to reclaim heavyweight gold

Reigning and undisputed ONE light heavyweight and middleweight MMA world champion 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin of Russia has been hard at work in the gym, beefing up his physical stature for the inevitable rematch with Senegalese archnemesis Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane.

Malykhin surrendered the ONE heavyweight MMA world title to 'Reug Reug' last November at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

In that fight, 'Sladkiy' looked out of his element, slow and lacking power, as his Senegalese rival outlasted him to take home the 26 pounds of gold.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Malykhin says he's been lifting heavy and gaining size in order to deal with the massive 'Reug Reug'.

The 37-year-old Golden Team representative told the world's largest martial arts organization:

"I’ve bulked up. I used to be 100 kilos. Now I’m 117. I’ve been lifting a lot."

Needless to say, the rematch between 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin and Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane is one of the most highly anticipated fights. Fans can expect to see these two heavyweight stars run it back sometime later this year.

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What's next for 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin?

Despite being the sole owner of the light heavyweight and middleweight MMA belts in ONE Championship, Russian stalwart 'Sladkiy' Anatoly Malykhin has only one thing on his mind, and that's to reclaim his lost gold in a rematch against Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane.

Malykhin has plenty of options in terms of fights, but the only one that matters to him is getting a win over 'Reug Reug' and erasing the painful memory of defeat.

The fate of the ONE heavyweight MMA world title hangs in the balance.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Anatoly Malykhin's next fight.