Two-division ONE World Champion Anatoly Malykhin watched the promotion crown its newest double titleholder this past weekend, but it wasn’t his friend and teammate Fabricio Andrade. This past weekend, bantamweight Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty claimed the division’s vacant kickboxing belt at the expense of “Wonder Boy” in the main event of ONE Fight Night 16 inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

The explosive battle between the two fiery strikers was fast and furious from the opening bell. But “The General” proved more precise and calculated as it progressed, which ultimately powered him to find a knockout in the second round.

Anatoly Malykhin says Fabricio Andrade may have over-committed to training

While he offered no excuses for the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion’s performance, “Sladkiy” laid out how he thought the extended preparation that Andrade had to put in for his meeting with Haggerty may have had something to do with the errors that worked their way into his approach on the night. “Fabricio was training every day, sometimes two times a day, three times a day. He approached the fight in good shape. He was recovering well,” Malykhin told ONE in an interview.

“The only thing that could have affected him was the long camp. Fabricio had virtually no rest. He was in training for five to six months and could have gotten a little banged up from the training. That’s the only thing I see that could have affected this fight.”

Andrade prides himself on the tireless work ethic that allows him to jump into a fight anytime his name is called. He also amassed a record of over 40 bouts in Muay Thai and kickboxing before he moved to MMA upon joining ONE, so he was far from an inexperienced contender for the kickboxing World Title. But against Haggerty, he was facing a foe that has been competing in the striking arts in ONE Championship for the last four years, and unfortunately, that proved the difference.

Despite the loss, Malykhin applauded his friend for taking the fight, and he credited the world’s largest martial arts promotion for putting together such an interesting pairing.

Malykhin has a warning against Jonathan Haggerty’s MMA aspirations

“He did well. He tried himself in a new sport. He showed courage, and he could have just stayed in MMA, defend his belt, and not take risks. And he took a risk, he gave a show. A lot of people watched that fight,” the Russian superstar said. “Thank you, ONE, for such super fights. The league organizes them, and we watch these fights with fascination on TV. So let’s move on. It’s not a big deal. Soon, Fabricio will prove himself number one again.”

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Following the match, Haggerty declared that he was planning to challenge Andrade for his MMA crown at some point in the future. The British striking star has been teasing a switch to the all-encompassing sport for the last few months, but Malykhin offered a stern warning for him to stay in his lane. “I’ll say it straight away. Haggerty doesn’t stand a chance in MMA. It’s a different world,” he said.

READ MORE – “I’m Coming for Your MMA Belt” – Jonathan Haggerty Hungry for More Gold, Calls for a Fight for Fabricio Andrade’s World Title