"It was my childhood dream" - Anatoly Malykhin says he will relish incredible opportunity as three-division champ

Ahead of his return at ONE 169, Anatoly Malykhin has been doing some reflecting about his career up to this point.

The things he has achieved in ONE Championship have been nothing short of remarkable. Malykhin has defied what many believe is possible by becoming the first three-weight world champion.

Though he clearly possesses incredible physical traits, this accomplishment wouldn't be possible without his dedication and focus.

The undefeated Russian always dreamed of reaching the very top, and this pursuit of a goal has led him to achieving it not once, but three times over. This isn't something that he takes for granted despite the incredible success that he has been able to realize in such a short time.

In the space of his last four fights, Anatoly Malykhin has secured four finishes and four world championships in the process, one being the interim heavyweight title that he went on to unify at ONE Friday Fights 22.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, he spoke about what this unforgettable rise means to him:

"It was my childhood dream to become a world champion, and I managed to become a triple world champion. So I'm going to cherish my childhood dream."

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Anatoly Malykhin isn't ready to give this up just yet

Anatoly Malykhin has been able to make his dream come true by lifting the ONE Championship gold high above his head.

In his return to action at ONE 169 on Nov. 8, he's not prepared for this dream scenario to come to an end.

The three-weight world champion faces his first challenger at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, when he returns to the heavyweight division.

Having competed at middleweight last time out, he's now moving back up in order to collide with Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane in one of the biggest fights of the year, literally.