“One of the best heavyweights” - ‘Buchecha’ has no doubts Anatoly Malykhin will retain the gold against ‘Reug Reug’ at ONE 169

Heavyweight MMA contender Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is certain Anatoly Malykhin will have his hand raised when he takes on Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane next week.

Malykhin will defend the ONE heavyweight MMA world title against 'Reug Reug' in the main event of the stacked ONE 169 card on Nov. 8, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the BJJ legend said he's confident Malykhin will leave Bangkok with a successful world title defense while retaining the lofty status of three-division MMA world champion.

'Buchecha' said:

"In this title fight, I'm sure that the winner will be Anatoly Malykhin. Anatoly is one of the best heavyweights I've ever seen fight."

Malykhin will make his first defense of one of his three world titles when he takes on the streaking Kane in a colossal matchup of hulking MMA titans.

The Russian juggernaut, who also holds the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world titles, is a perfect 6-0 in ONE Championship with all six of his wins coming via knockout.

Kane, meanwhile, is on a four-fight winning streak, with the biggest win of his career coming at the expense of 'Buchecha' at ONE Fight Night 13.

The Senegalese wrestling machine outworked the 17-time BJJ world champion in a fast-paced contest that saw Kane claim a hard-earned unanimous decision win.

As for Almeida, he will face Iranian superstar Amir Aliakbari at ONE 169.

The entire ONE 169 card is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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'Buchecha' doesn't want to take Amir Aliakbari lightly at ONE 169 clash

Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida knows his impending match against Amir Aliakbari presents a showdown of two of MMA's most fundamental martial arts.

Almeida is one of the pillars of modern BJJ while Aliakbari was a gold medal winner at the 2010 World Wrestling Championships.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Almeida said he can't be complacent against Aliakbari even if the fight gets to the ground:

"Amir Aliakbari is dangerous because he has very heavy hands and is a guy who was a Greco-Roman World Champion. He is not afraid of being taken down, so I think that makes him more comfortable to strike and throw his punches. That's one of his strengths."