#1 De Ridder's Grappling
Undefeated Reinier de Ridder is one of the best grapplers in MMA today. "The Dutch Knight" has finished 11 of his 16 professional wins by submission, and his ground game is enough to give would-be opponents nightmares.
The 32-year-old could utilize his skills to win the wrestling exchanges and take the fight to the floor. And if he does that, it will be a long night for Malykhin.
#2 Malykhin's Power Shots
Also undefeated as a professional, Anatoly Malykhin has earned most of his wins with strikes, including his three wins in the Circle so far.
"Sladkiy" will look to add another big knockout to his highlight reel at the expense of De Ridder. And on paper, this would appear to be his best chance of dethroning the Dutch star.
#3 De Ridder's Championship Experience
De Ridder will bring a decided advantage in terms of championship experience to the Circle at ONE Fight Night 5.
The current double World Champion has had four World Title fights in ONE, in which he took out former World Champions Kiamrian Abbasov, Vitaly Bigdash, and Aung La N Sang.
In comparison, Malykhin has fought three times in the Circle, and just one of those was a championship bout. De Ridder certainly knows how to get the job done on the big stage, and his vast experience could well be the difference.
#4 Malykhin's Size
Malykhin has fought his entire MMA career at heavyweight, but the hulking Russian will step down to light heavyweight in search of gold on this occasion.
The question of whether the 34-year-old can make weight healthily has loomed over this bout, but if he does, we can assume that he will be the bigger man on the night.
As the bigger fighter, Malykhin will have the ability to impose his size on the Dutch submission ace, which could play a significant role, especially in the wrestling exchanges.
With so many questions hanging over this fight, it promises to be another memorable night of action on 3 December.