Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin could claim his second divisional gold when he challenges Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder for the ONE Light Heavyweight World Title at ONE on Prime Video 5 on December 2. And the Russian tank admits that there’ll be no better way to do that than to knock out his fellow unbeaten foe in the headlining battle of ONE Championship’s return to the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

“I think I can [get the finish] again, and I’ll finish the fight before the second round. I’ll go out there, and I’ll hunt for his head. I’ll chase him, I’ll punch him,” the Kemerovo native warned.

Anatoly Malakhin will look to hurt Reiner De Ridder for a victory

Though nobody has found a blueprint to outclass “The Dutch Knight” so far in his career, “Sladkiy” believes his command in wrestling could be enough to shut down his upcoming opponent’s seemingly bulletproof Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game. After all, Malykhin knows how to counter takedowns and throws expertly.

But more importantly, he has the bulk and strength to work his way out of any tight situations De Ridder might put him in. And he’ll use that power to inflict damage on the Dutchman once he has snuffed his ground game.

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“Maybe he’ll try to impose his grappling on me, but I’ll break the grip. I’m going to hit him in the body, in the head, and I’m going to hurt him. I don’t think he’ll go the whole distance,” the 34-year-old added. As confident as he is, the Thailand-based knockout machine isn’t overlooking what his dance partner will bring to the Circle next Friday.

Anatoly Maykhin believes the man with a stronger character will be victorious

De Ridder’s BJJ has been the foundation of his perfect 16-0 professional slate, and Malykhin goes as far as acknowledging that the two-division king may not have a flaw in his arsenal.

“I cannot say that a man with a 16-0 record has any weaknesses, especially one who holds two belts. He has good jiu-jitsu. His transitions are on point. However, I have good wrestling, too. My base is freestyle wrestling, [so] it’s going to be hard for him to take me down,” he pointed out.

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Despite how evenly stacked they may appear across various departments, “Sladkiy” refuses to believe that this match will go the distance. And when all is said and done about their respective skill sets, the 11-0 behemoth wouldn’t be surprised if this one came down to a battle of will.

“I think the one who has the stronger character, who is better prepared, who wants to win the belt more will win,” Malykhin said.