Anatoly Malykhin defends the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Championship against “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane at ONE 169 on Friday, November 8. The current heavyweight king has always seemed poised for greatness since arriving on the global stage. However, not everyone saw his greatness.
Ahead of his main event tilt, Malykhin recounted his days growing up with naysayers. The ONE Championship three-division king did not excel in the classroom, often spending time with more physical tasks. His teachers never saw the path he was on, but Malykhin was already dreaming of gold.
“My math teacher always brought me to the board and asked, ‘What’s going on with you, Anatoly?’ I said, ‘I really mean it: I will become a World Champion. This is my dream, and I can tell you for sure I will.’ And she always laughed, saying, ‘Calm down, what World Championship are you talking about,'” Malykhin recalled to ONE.
Malykhin’s dreams came true when he grabbed interim heavyweight gold by defeating Kirill Grishenko. Then, he became a two-division World Champion by claiming the ONE Light Heavyweight MMA World Title by decimating Reinier De Ridder before unifying the heavyweight title against Arjan Bhullar. Malykhin then made history as the first-ever concurrent three-division titleholder with a second win over De Ridder to claim the ONE Middleweight MMA World Title.
“It has always been my dream. I always wanted to be an athlete and reach high results, become a World Champion, and my dream has come true. Despite everything that happened in my life, I have made it and realized my childhood dream,” the three-division king said.
Malykhin’s math teacher was not his only disbeliever. Whether it was his small-town upbringing or the heights of what he wanted to accomplish, only one person saw he could make all his dreams a reality. That person was his wife, Anita.
“A lot of people on my way, when I said I was going to be a World Champion, practically all of them laughed in my face. ‘Anatoly, what are you talking about, you and the World Championship? We are from Kemerovo, a small city. Calm down.’ There was only one person I met on my way… only Anita said, ‘You are going to do it,'” Malykhin remarked.
Atop the MMA world, Malykhin is not ready to rest on his laurels. Instead, “Sladkiy” is putting in more work to stay atop the mountain for as long as possible. He is using his performances on the global stage as a message to all of his fans.
“I just wanted people to realize: If you believe in something strongly and you are ready to sacrifice a lot, then you will succeed. I wish that people on this planet would never give up. Regardless of how hard it is, always keep moving, and I think when you find your way, you will come across the right people on your way,” the Russian stated.
His title defense at ONE 169 is just the latest step in carving out his legacy in martial arts. However, Malykhin does not want his legacy to just be about the titles. The jovial heavyweight intends to inspire future generations by showing everyone how hard work can pay off and that their dreams are always within reach.
“I wish to leave a legacy not in the form of my belts or triple championships, but the path I have walked in this life, so that people can see that anything is possible. An ordinary guy can… just can. If God gave you opportunities that other people don’t have, you need to share these opportunities with the rest of the world, to bring good and good deeds,” Malykhin said.
ONE 169 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, November 8. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.
