ONE 166: Qatar – After Historic Win, Anatoly Malykhin Praises Stone-Hearted Reinier De Ridder

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Anatoly Malykhin made history by capturing his third successive ONE MMA World Title at ONE 166: Qatar this past Friday, 1 March. But even after solidifying his greatness, the Russian powerhouse showed humility toward his opponent Reinier de Ridder.

After a hard-fought contest, Malykhin managed to put De Ridder down for good in round three to add the ONE Middleweight MMA World Championship to his light heavyweight and heavyweight thrones. The grueling contest tested both their limits, but Malykhin's unrelenting pressure eventually found him success.

In their first encounter at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022, Malykhin stormed through De Ridder inside one round. This time, the Dutchman displayed his mettle a bit longer, showcasing the huge improvements to his game. And for that, "Sladkiy" was impressed by De Ridder's endurance.

"This guy, number one. This guy is good. Good father, good family. Your heart [is made of] stone, bro," Malykhin said post-fight.

Throughout Malykhin's career, the Russian juggernaut has made a habit of hitting people hard and often. So much so that they fail to escape the first five minutes. That approach has led to 10 knockouts in 14 fights.

So when it comes to punching power, Malykhin knows what it takes to put a man down. But in his ruthless hunt for the ONE Middleweight MMA World Title against De Ridder, Malykhin took more shots than he would like to admit.

De Ridder has always been a danger on the ground. But before the fight, the submission artist spent 15 months focusing on striking - and it paid off. Malykhin was impressed by De Ridder's improved firepower, and he gave him the credit he deserved after ONE 166: Qatar.

"He punched me. This guy [is] impressive," Malykhin said. "This guy knows Thai boxing! One time, [he] hit me. [I was like] woah, man!"