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Anatoly Malykhin believes that he is on another level right now and it's hard to argue with him based on what he has been able to accomplish.
When the undefeated Russian first arrived in ONE Championship, he came in with a strong wrestling background and heavy hands.
ONE fans have watched Malykhin evolve in front of their eyes with each passing fight and training camp.
Now, the three-weight world champion is a very different animal from the one that we first met back in 2021.
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His striking in particular has come a long way and we've seen that on full display in his recent fights with Reinier de Ridder and Arjan Bhullar.
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Rather than looking to take the fight to the ground against two fellow grappling specialists, he has let his hands do all of the talking.
Ahead of his upcoming return in the main event of ONE 169: Atlanta, Malykhin spoke about how he is always ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Malykin said that he's firing on all cylinders heading into State Farm Arena on Nov. 8:
"But I'm ready for all of that against any opponent. When it comes to a fight with me, I'll be ready for the grappling, striking, and I'll be in top shape physically."
Anatoly Malykhin is sure to need all three factors at ONE 169
The three-weight world champion is set to defend his heavyweight title on Nov. 8 when Anatoly Malykhin meets 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane for the first time.
His striking will likely be his best path to victory once again considering the grappling background that Kane comes from.
The champ may also need to defend takedowns at points in this fight which hasn't been an issue for him thus far.
'Reug Reug's biggest threat is his explosive power but Malykhin isn't going to be intimidated by an opponent that packs a punch.
As one of the most dominant forces that ONE Championship has ever seen, he will look to stay on top at the State Farm Arena.
Tickets for ONE 169: Atlanta are available via Ticketmaster.
