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Two-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin is stepping up his trash talk as his highly anticipated rematch with Reinier de Ridder closes in.
After scoring a vicious first-round knockout against ‘The Dutch Knight’ to win the ONE light heavyweight title, Malykhin will look to do it one more time and take de Ridder’s last remaining piece of gold — the ONE middleweight championship.
Their second scrap will go down on March 1 when ONE Championship makes its long-awaited debut inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar. With fight night fast approaching, Malykhin is sending Reinier de Ridder a friendly reminder of how their first meeting went via a t-shirt commemorating Malykhin’s viral knockout of ‘The Dutch Knight’ in December 2022.
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You can see the t-shirt for yourself via Malykhin’s Instagram stories.
Anatoly Malykhin did something similar in the leadup to his heavyweight title unification clash with Arjan Bhullar last year. ‘Sladkiy’ famously printed a shirt brandishing Bhullar’s face on an animated chicken to taunt the then-heavyweight champ.
Anatoly Malykhin continues to throw shade at Reinier de Ridder
Speaking with the South China Morning Post ahead of ONE 166, Anatoly Malykhin suggested that ‘The Dutch Knight’ has likely not gotten a single good night's sleep since getting slept by ‘Sladkiy’ in their inaugural meeting.
“I wish him a really good sleep at night because I'm pretty sure he has nightmares about me. I'm pretty sure he sees me knocking him out every day, over and over again, so I wish him a really good rest, and I wish he could sleep better.”
Will the Russian juggernaut deliver a repeat performance and become a three-division ONE world champion, or will Reinier de Ridder stuff Malykhin’s mouth with a big slice of humble pie? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below.
ONE 166: Qatar airs live on Friday, March 1, via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.
