Anatoly Malykhin is more than ready to secure his legacy this weekend, and he believes nothing can stop him. The two-division ONE World Champion competes for his third belt when he challenges Reinier de Ridder for the ONE Middleweight MMA World Title in the main event of ONE 166: Qatar this Friday, March 1.

“Sladkiy” will attempt to become the first fighter to claim a World Title in three weight divisions by replicating his previous success against De Ridder, who he knocked out to claim the light heavyweight crown at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022.

Anatoly Malykhin’s journey down two weight classes

Moving down two weight classes may seem like an impossible goal to many, but Anatoly Malaykhin hasn’t found it that difficult – thanks in part to his loved ones.“My every day looks perfect! I wake up with my family by my side – my son, and my wife. I know the reason for getting up every day. I am motivated and charged,” Malykhin told ONE in an interview.

Anatoly Malykhin further added “And that’s how every week goes. I spend a lot of time with my family, but I also have to spend a lot of time with my coach, Johnny [Hutchinson] – we do a lot of training.” Before their first meeting, De Ridder had amassed a 16-fight win streak and was unbeaten in his MMA career. His submission game was world-renowned, making him one of the most feared competitors in the sport.

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But he couldn’t keep up with Malykhin when they clashed and suffered a first-round knockout as a result. Now that he is fighting at De Ridder’s natural weight class, though, Malykhin knows he’ll need more than just power to overcome his rival again. “This time, we focused on wrestling. I’m pretty sure De Ridder will try to wrestle with me. We worked a lot on freestyle wrestling, so it would be hard to take me down, and we also worked on jiu-jitsu. But there was also one new thing – I swam a lot. Swimming is good for cardio, and it can be relaxing in general. It’s like meditation for me.” he said.

Malykhin aims to make history at ONE 166

Currently, Roman Kryklia and Christian Lee share the honor of holding World Titles in two weight classes simultaneously with Anatoly Malykhin. But there have been others in the past, including De Ridder.

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However, no fighter has held three belts at the same time, so “Sladkiy” will write his name in the history books if he defeats the Dutchman this weekend. It won’t be an easy task, though. De Ridder is one of the only other athletes on the ONE Championship roster who has been linked to a push for a third World Title, and Malykhin will be in his world at middleweight.

Despite being lighter than usual, the light heavyweight and heavyweight king remains unfazed. He says he feels even more dangerous and fully ready to do what no one in the organization has done before. “I feel great this time around. Sometimes during shadowboxing or hitting bags, I get scared of myself. I’m very fast and very strong. I’m tough and very motivated,” Anatoly Malykhin said. “I want to make history. And that’s what pushes me to get up early in the morning and give it 100 percent.”

ONE 166: Qatar will be broadcast to fans in 190 countries around the world, including in North America, where Prime Video subscribers can watch it live and for free.

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