Two-weight ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin has had an simple rise to the highest of ONE Championship. Via his knockout energy and verbal abilities on the microphone, he’s confirmed to have each the present of the gab and the present of the jab. So he believes he may achieve a future transition to professional wrestling.
His punching energy has led him to victory 14 occasions in his profession. Seven of these have are available in ONE the place he grew to become the first-ever three-weight king within the promotion’s historical past. He stormed via former ONE World Title challenger Kirill Grishenko and former heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023.
Not solely that, however he grew to become the one man to defeat former two-weight ONE World Champion Reinier de Ridder. First at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022 with a first-round knockout for the light-heavyweight MMA crown. Then at ONE 166 in Qatar to earn the middleweight gold, too.
He’s additionally no stranger to speaking trash. Malykhin thrives when the stakes are the very best. He’s used the press conferences to get inside his opponents’ minds, utilizing verbal jabs to poke holes of their armor.
That was on present within the lead-up to his heavyweight MMA conflict with reigning heavyweight MMA champ “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane final November at ONE 169. And in addition being a heavyweight juggernaut, he ticks all of the packing containers to be a larger-than-life persona.
So when questioned about how he’d fare in wrestling, Malykhin is assured he may comply with within the footsteps of fellow heavyweight Brock Lesnar.
“No, I haven’t considered it. However I feel I’d do alright. I’ve acquired a strong grappling base, I transfer effectively for a heavyweight, and I feel I’ve acquired a little bit of appearing in me too,” he stated.
“In the event that they invited me — certain, I’d give it a shot. It’d be an fascinating expertise.”
