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ONE Championship superstar Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin is now the owner of two World Titles, and he has no plans to stop there. 

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The Russian colossus upgraded his status to a two-division ONE World Champion by defeating Reinier de Ridder to claim the light heavyweight crown this past Saturday, December 3, at ONE on Prime Video 5.

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And he has his sight set on straps in several other weight categories, starting with the Dutchman’s middleweight World Title.

“I’m going to do the next fight at 93 kilos (205lbs),” Malykhin warned.

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While his ultimate goal at the Singapore-based outfit is to reign as the heavyweight king, Malykhin clearly has other plans after his latest victory. 

The unstoppable Anatoly Malykhin

De Ridder was completely whitewashed by Malykhin’s strong grappling defense and had nothing to offer when they traded heavy artillery in the pocket. 

By 4:35 of the opening round, it was, “Good night, Irene” for the once unstoppable star.

Malykhin upped his perfect slate to 12-0 with the win and bagged another double US$50,000 performance bonus for his troubles.

His first double bonus came when he knocked out Kirill Grishenko to win the ONE Interim Heavyweight World Title earlier this year.

Read more: “I’ll Fight Buchecha Next Year” – Anatoly Malykhin Targets BJJ Legend Next

Speaking on the reward, “Sladkiy” praised ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for completely turning his fortunes around.

Malykhin expresses his gratitude

“Mr. Chatri changed my life. He made the life of my family so amazing; he made my dreams come true,” Malykhin said. 

“And I’m doing what I love every day. I’m training; I’m getting paid for doing what I dreamed of having.”

“Sladkiy’s” confidence is now sky-high. And he wants to continue producing more impressive displays and, of course, claiming World Titles.

Before that ambitious goal, though, he would like to kick things off and attempt to become an unprecedented three-division king inside the ONE Circle.

Read more: Undefeated 2-Weight MMA Champ Gets “Wheeled Out” of Arena After Taking “Scary” Damage at ONE on Prime Video 5

“I’m here to make my dream happen and maybe have three or four belts. As I said earlier, I’m coming for all the belts, so everyone should watch out and be careful,” Malykhin said.

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Mayur Soni

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Mayur Soni is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His journey as an MMA fan started with Conor McGregor’s historic 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo in 2015, which sparked his love for the sport. Since then, he has closely followed the sport and gained an in-depth understanding of its nuances, which reflects in his insightful and analytical writing. Mayur's article on Kamaru Usman's injury displays his dedication to providing comprehensive coverage of athletes from various perspectives. In addition to his love for combat sports, Mayur is also an avid marathon runner. His experience as a marathon runner has given him a deep appreciation for the connection between the mind and body, which he sees reflected in the sport of MMA. As a writer, Mayur's background in theatre also informs his approach to storytelling, allowing him to craft engaging and captivating articles that bring MMA to life for readers.

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Rohini Kottu

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