"Those who put in that work" - Anatoly Malykhin says elite fighters are born in the gym

Three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin believes the best martial artists are bred in the gym.

'Sladkiy' has heard all the talk about elite fighters supposedly only coming from North America.

As far as the Russian destroyer is concerned, talent is prevalent all over the world, especially for those who shed blood, sweat and tears behind closed doors.

For instance, Malykhin cited some detractors who diminished the achievements of his past opponents.

The 36-year-old said in an interview courtesy of Red Corner MMA:

"Those who put in the work know there are no cans. I hear that ACA fighters [are supposed to be] cans. ONE Championship, Bellator, and half of UFC are cans. There are no cans in any promotion. If you're in the top 5, Ali Aliakbari, he's a champion in classic wrestling. The Indian fighter [Arjan Bhullar], people say he's a can. He wrestled in the Olympics. He has three UFC fights with two wins."

He continued:

"Kirill Grishenko, he beat Roman Farington in the European wrestling championship. Then there's Bellator fighter [Valentin] Moldavsky, [Ryan] Bader, they're all top guys."

Watch the full interview:

Anatoly Malykhin is truly a rare blend of talent and hard work, and it's no surprise that he has been able to conquer ONE's heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight ranks.

'Reug Reug' gunning for two of Anatoly Malykhin's belts

After achieving what was once deemed impossible, Anatoly Malykhin's first order of business is to defend his heavyweight MMA crown against the streaking 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane.

This gigantic clash of the titans is part of the promotion's upcoming blockbuster at State Farm Arena, ONE 169: Atlanta on November 8.

The brash challenger certainly hasn't been shy about spewing some venom towards the triple champ and claimed he'll take Malykhin's heavyweight and light heavyweight belts.

'Reug Reug' told the South China Morning Post:

"The guy [Malykhin] is not the biggest fight, you know, I need the two belts. He has my two belts and he’s gonna give me my two belts."

Tickets for ONE 169: Atlanta are available via Ticketmaster.