- George Chung
- Mar 4, 2024
- 2 min read
Anatoly Malykhin completed his quest for history at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1. The Russian battered Reinier De Ridder to become a three-division king by capturing the ONE Middleweight MMA World Championship.
The unconquered king of three divisions is unquestionably one of the sport's best athletes. And it has some wishing for a dream match against heavyweight superstar Francis Ngannou.
The question of Malykhin vs. Ngannou came up at the ONE 166 post-event press conference. Neither Malykhin nor ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong deflected the question.
"I have the best trainer in the world in boxing [John Hutchinson]; therefore, he doesn't stand a chance," Malykhin said at the post-event press conference.
The emphatic prediction is unsurprising from Malykhin. The confidence is warranted with an undefeated professional record, a string of knockouts, and his Russian wrestling credentials.
Sityodtong went a step further with his prediction, believing that "Sladkiy" would utilize his wrestling against the heavy-hitter to assert himself as the world's top heavyweight.
"There's no question Anatoly is the greatest heavyweight on the planet, full stop. Put aside different organizations and marketing. He has a 100 percent finish rate, one-punch KO power. He would take Francis Ngannou down and smash him. He's an elite wrestler," Sityodtong remarked.
It would be an intriguing matchup but one that seems unlikely to happen at this time.
But Malykhin has no shortage of options. As a three-division champion, "Sladkiy" will have plenty of challenges awaiting him from those seeking to achieve their own slice of history.
Regardless, Malykhin is becoming one of the sport's biggest stars, and every outing from the unbeaten Russian is becoming a can't-miss event.
Relive ONE 166: Qatar on-demand at watch.onefc.com or ONE’s official YouTube channel.
