"You experience such a wide range of emotions" - Anatoly Malykhin shares the aftermath of his shocking loss to 'Reug Reug'

ONE Championship's first-ever three-division MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin ended 2024 on a sour note after losing 26 pounds of heavyweight MMA gold to Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane at ONE 169 on Nov. 8, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

In a documentary-style video posted by Red Corner MMA on YouTube, 'Sladkiy' reflected on the split-decision defeat:

"Here, everything feels different. And that's a feeling a lot of veterans keep coming back for. Because it's like a little but very intense life. Within those few hours, you experience such a wide range of emotions. Fear, anxiety, joy, love. You start appreciating the love of other people ten times more. Those feelings are impossible to describe."

Watch the entire video below:

Malykhin, who still holds the light heavyweight and middleweight MMA crowns, had never been defeated in 14 fights prior to the upset against Kane.

To Kane's credit, he stifled the Russian monster's highly respected striking abilities by constantly getting into his space and grappling with him, which prevented Malykhin from generating any momentum in their five-round encounter.

Despite suffering his first career defeat, Malykhin remained humble and respectful toward Kane, even giving the Senegalese star and his team their hard-earned flowers.

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Anatoly Malykhin calling for his rematch with Oumar Kane

When a fight ends via split decision, it is almost always certain that the losing athlete will call for an immediate rematch. That is what Anatoly Malykhin hopes will happen sometime this year.

Speaking recently with the world's largest martial arts promotion, the Golden Team athlete believes that a second meeting between him and Oumar Kane is on the horizon, saying:

"I think a rematch with him is inevitable because our first fight was so close. We need a second fight to settle it."