Anatoly Malykhin.
O
NE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin is going for gold yet again when he challenges two-division king Reinier De Ridder for his light heavyweight throne in the main event of ONE Fight Night 5 on Saturday.
The hulking Russian has been immense in his ONE tenure so far, adding three wins to his perfect 11-0 record. Should he defeat De Ridder, Malykhin will be the first man to hand the Dutchman a loss in his career, so the stakes are high for both superstars.
Before "Sladkiy" returns to the Circle for his fourth outing, we break down three things you should know about him.
Insane KO power
In his 11-fight professional MMA career, Malykhin has never had a fight go past the second round. Whether the finish has come by submission or a flurry of punches, he has stopped every opponent in their tracks.
The 34-year-old behemoth has a 100 percent finishing rate in a Circle, a feat very few athletes have accomplished, and he’ll hope to continue that on Saturday.
$100,000 bonus
Most athletes who have won a coveted performance bonus from ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong walked out of the Circle with a cool US$50,000. However, Malykhin is one of only two athletes that had a fight so impressive that they left with double that amount.
His second-round finish of Kirill Grishenko to claim the ONE Interim Heavyweight World Championship at ONE: BAD BLOOD in February wowed the crowd so much that he scored a $100,000 bonus.
Read also: Three things you should know about Roberto SoldicMaking grandpa proud
“Sladkiy’s” martial arts journey started when he was young, and it was all thanks to his grandfather. He introduced Malykhin to wrestling, and the star has never looked back.
On top of using it to dominate in MMA, he has also picked up a slew of accomplishments within the sport, including the accolade of “master of sport” and multiple national medals.
Catch the Russian star back in action at ONE Fight Night 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. Tickets can be purchased at https://smtickets.com/events/view/11438.
This article was published in collaboration with ONE Championship.
