“Triple champ for sure” - Anatoly Malykhin the overwhelming favorite in Qatar showdown against Reinier de Ridder

ONE Championship fans are siding with Anatoly Malykhin to emerge victorious in his upcoming rematch against Reinier de Ridder.

In December 2022, Malykhin handed de Ridder his first professional MMA loss by securing a first-round knockout win to become the new ONE light heavyweight MMA world champion. Six months later, ‘Sladkiy’ took out Arjan Bhullar for the undisputed heavyweight MMA throne to become an undisputed two-division world champion.

De Ridder’s loss against Malykhin was devastating for the Dutchman as he endured brutal damage and learned his striking needed to evolve. Following a lengthy layoff from MMA, ‘The Dutch Knight’ is ready to seek revenge later this year.

On March 1, Malykhin will move down to middleweight and attempt to become the first three-division world champion. To do so, he must get through a determined De Ridder, who plans to silence the doubters in the ONE 166: Qatar main event.

ONE recently shared an Instagram post about the highly-anticipated rematch, which will transpire at Lusail Sports Arena, with the following caption:

“Mark your calendars 📆 An epic ONE Middleweight MMA World Title fight will headline ONE 166: Qatar in just ONE MONTH 🤯 Will Anatoly Malykhin make history and become a three-division king by dethroning Reinier de Ridder once again in their rematch on March 1? 🏆”

Fans filled the Instagram comment section with support for the hard-hitting Russian knockout artist:

“Triple Champ”

“30 days till…Sleep Time!! 🇷🇺👊🏼💥🟠😴”

“3 belt TIMEEE🔥”

“This is the fastest malykhin form, cannt wait 🔥”

“@anmalykhin let's go champ champ champ🔥🌪️”

“Deridder counting the days until separation from the belt 🙁”

Instagram comments

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Has Reinier de Ridder fought since losing against Anatoly Malykhin?

As previously mentioned, Anatoly Malykhin didn’t slow down following his unforgettable knockout win against Reinier de Ridder. In June 2023, Malykhin extended his promotional record to 5-0 by dominating Arjan Bhullar for the undisputed ONE heavyweight MMA world title.

Meanwhile, Reinier de Ridder needed more than a year to improve his MMA skills and recover from the brutal knockout. With that said, ‘The Dutch Knight’ remained active by competing against Tye Ruotolo in a submission grappling match in May 2023, with the latter emerging victorious by unanimous decision.