Tag: Anatoly Malykhin

Anatoly Malykhin hilariously explains why he’s gradually paying off $50K bet with Merab Dvalishvili

ONE’s triple champ Anatoly Malykhin hilariously explains why he’s slowly paying off his $50K bet to Merab Dvalishvili.

ONE’s triple champion [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag] has a debt to pay to UFC title contender [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag], and claims he’s taking care of it – slowly.

A couple of years ago, Malykhin and Dvalishvili made a $50K bet on the UFC 273 bantamweight title rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Malykhin picked his fellow Russian countryman, Yan, while Dvalishvili believed his teammate Sterling would win.

Sterling won the fight, and ever since then, Dvalishvili has sporadically mentioned the bet during interviews or on social media because the debt has yet to be paid in full.

Dvalishvili vented his frustration about the bet during his media day interview last year before fighting Yan himself in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner. The Georgian told reporters that he sent Malykhin multiple account numbers to transfer the money but had yet to receive anything. Aside from Yan telling his friend not to pay off the bet, Dvalishvili said he worked out a deal that money would start coming in after Malykhin fought for ONE again.

Well, according to Malykhin, he’s paying off the bet now, but little by little, to protect Dvalishvili from splurging or partying in Las Vegas.

“I lost a bet and every month I transfer $1-2,000 to cover it, let’s say like in installments,” Malykhin told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “I don’t want to transfer the whole amount because what if he goes on a big spree, or he has like a huge party and gets wasted? Then his next performance would be jeopardized. So in reality, I’m just trying to show some care and love.”

“… What if he spends everything in one go? I want him to have a longer pleasure with it.”

You can check out the full interview with Malykhin in the video above.

Three-division champ Anatoly Malykhin wants more ONE history

At 36, and with a historic trio of belts around his waist, Anatoly Malykhin said he’s not done chasing history.

At 36, and with a historic trio of belts around his waist, [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag] said he’s not done chasing history.

No, the ONE heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight champion isn’t thinking about a fourth title. But he’d still like to try something no modern-era major champion has done.

“I have a crazy idea,” Malykhin told MMA Junkie Radio. “I would like to fight two opponents in one evening. I would like to beat two athletes in one evening and create a new history. No one has ever done this before.”

The 36-year-old Russian, who is 14-0, including six knockout wins for ONE, just keeps winning title fights. Earlier this month, he took out Reinier de Ridder for a second time in three fights to win the middleweight (205 pounds in ONE) belt. He previously took the light heavyweight title from him.

Malykhin thinks a fight for ONE in the U.S. should be his next move. And if that two-opponent thing can be figured out, he’s down.

“America would be a great place for the next card I’m on,” he said. “When I was a kid and I used to fight a lot on the street, I had an unbeaten record of 300-0. Nobody asked me on the street what is my weight.”

ONE’s next scheduled event in the U.S is set for September in Denver.

Anatoly Malykhin def. Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166: Best photos

Check out these photos from Anatoly Malykhin vs. Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166 in Qatar.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag]’s title victory over Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166 which took place at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. (Photos courtesy of ONE Championship)

Reinier de Ridder vs. Anatoly Malykhin 2 to headline ONE 166 in Qatar

More than a year later, Reinier de Ridder will have his shot at revenge and reclaiming the ONE light heavyweight title vs. Anatoly Malykhin.

More than a year later, [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] will have have his shot at revenge against [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag].

Undefeated Malykhin (13-0), the reigning ONE Championship light heavyweight and heavyweight title holder, will put his 225-pound belt on the line when he runs things back with de Ridder (16-1) on March 1 at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. The rematch will serve as the headliner for ONE 166.

Malykhin handed de Ridder the first loss of his career and took the title in December 2022 when he finished him in the first round at ONE Fight Night 5. After that, Malykhin went on to claim the undisputed ONE heavyweight title this past June when he stopped Arjan Bhullar with ground and pound in Round 3. It was Malykhin’s only fight of 2023.

De Ridder, the reigning ONE middleweight champ, didn’t compete in MMA in 2023. He took part in a grappling match this past May at ONE Fight Night 10, which he lost to Tye Ruotolo by unanimous decision.

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ONE Friday Fights 22 results: Anatoly Malykhin overwhelms, stops Arjan Bhullar in heavyweight title unifier

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong declared Anatoly Malykhin the “best heavyweight on the planet” after yet another dominant performance.

ONE Championship has a new undisputed heavyweight champion – and he’s still perfect.

In their title-unification bout at ONE Friday Fights 22, [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag] overwhelmed [autotag]Arjan Bhullar[/autotag] before winning by TKO with ground-and-pound in the third round at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. It was yet another show of dominance from Malykhin, who is now 13-0 since turning pro in 2016 and has finished all 13 of his fights.

Afterward, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong got on the microphone and declared Malykhin “the best heavyweight on a planet.” Whether or not that’s actually true could be up for debate, but Malykhin (13-0) looked the part against Bhullar (11-2).

Right away in Round 1, Malykhin was the aggressor, leaving Bhullar no choice but to rely on his defensive boxing. Bhullar did find some success with his jab, but Malykhin clearly landed more combinations and heavier shots. In the second, Malykhin came out firing, with Bhullar again on his backfoot as he ate a pretty clean uppercut. Malykhin, with his relentless pressure, nicely worked in shots to the body, which opened up for him to land upstairs. It was a crisp and efficient display of boxing from Malykhin, which caused Bhullar to show fatigue as he walked back to his corner.

Malykhin had never entered the third round in his career, but there was no slowing down from the Russian. Right away he trapped Bhullar in the corner and unloaded a barrage of punches as he tried to finish. To Bhullar’s credit, he hung in there, and Malykhin switched to dragging him to the mat, where the two men rolled out of the ring. On the restart, Bhullar, who was starting to fade, appeared to intentionally crawl out of the ring as a stalling tactic, garnering a yellow card from the referee. When they restarted again, Malykhin jumped down on Bhullar, who turned to his stomach, and rained down punches for the finish at the 2:42 mark.

The fight was a rude awakening for Bhullar, who returned to action after a more-than-two-year layoff.

Arjan Bhullar vs. Anatoly Malykhin heavyweight title unification bout set for ONE on Prime Video 8 in March

ONE Championship’s heavyweight title unification fight between champ Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin has a new Amazon Prime Video date.

ONE Championship’s heavyweight title unification fight as a new date.

Heavyweight champion [autotag]Arjan Bhullar[/autotag] (11-1) will return to the cage March 24 to take on interim champ [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag] (11-0), the promotion announced Sunday.

The fight will be part of ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The main card will stream on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. and Canada.

The heavyweights had been scheduled to fight this past September at ONE Championshihp 161 in Singapore, but Bhullar pulled out with an injury.

Bhullar will return after an absence of nearly two years. Most recently, he fought in April 2021 and won the heavyweight title against then-champ Brandon Vera with a second-round TKO. Bhullar only has fought twice since his departure from the UFC in the summer of 2019 and is 2-0.

Malykhin won the interim title in February 2022 with a knockout of Kirill Grishenko in the second round. The unbeaten 34-year-old is a perfect 3-0 under the ONE banner. All 11 of his pro wins are by stoppage, including eight knockouts.

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ONE on Prime Video 5 results: Anatoly Malykhin crushes Reinier de Ridder in first to become two-division champion

Anatoly Malykhin becomes a two-division champion by viciously knocking out Reinier de Ridder in the first round.

It didn’t take long for [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag] to claim another piece of ONE Championship gold.

In the main event of ONE on Prime Video 5, undefeated interim heavyweight champion Malykhin (12-0) dropped down from heavyweight challenge for Reinier de Ridder’s light heavyweight title, and took it from him in vicious fashion in the opening round.

The event took place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, and aired live on Amazon Prime Video.

The fight started quickly as De Ridder (16-1) rushed across the cage, looking to engage in the clinch. Malykhin was ready for his opponent’s quick advance and countered nicely with a few hard punches. After a brief reset, De Ridder went right back to the clinch game, but was unable to get Malykhin to the canvas.

Malykhin continued to land hard punches, putting De Ridder in a bad spot in the middle of the round. With every thudding blow that landed, the crowd reacted as if the end of the fight was near, as De Ridder did his best to survive with his back against the fence.

De Ridder fired back a few punches and kicks of his own, but they were not nearly as effective as Malykhin’s offerings. Then, a crushing overhand right from Malykhin found the chin, sending De Ridder to the mat. A few follow-up punches later, the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Malykhin now holds titles in two divisions as the ONE Championship light heavyweight champion and the interim heavyweight champion. During his post-fight interview, Malykhin hinted at the possibility of dropping down to middleweight to take de Ridder’s other title, although a unification bout against Arjan Bhullar is on the horizon.

The result was the first loss of de Ridder’s professional career, who entered with seven wins under the ONE Championship banner, but he still holds the middleweight title.

Full results of ONE on Prime Video 5 include:

  • Anatoly Malykhin def. Reinier de Ridder via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:35 – for light heavyweight title
  • Murad Ramazanov vs. Roberto Soldic results in a no contest after accidental low blow
  • Lowen Tynanes def. Dae Sung Park via split decision
  • Edson Marques def. Eduard Folayang via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:53
  • Oumar Kane def. Jasur Mirzamukhamedov via unanimous decision
  • Denice Samboanga def. Hequin Lin via split decision

Video: ONE on Prime Video 5 pre-event press conference

Watch the ONE on Prime Video 5 press conference ahead of Friday’s even headlined by a middleweight title fight.

ONE Championship returns Friday at 8 p.m. ET with ONE on Prime Video 5, which takes place at Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philipines, and streams on Amazon Prime Video.

In the main event, undefeated dual champion [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] (16-0) puts his middleweight title on the line against also unbeaten [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag] (11-0). The co-main event features a lightweight submission grappling title bout between champion Kade Ruotolo and Matheus Gabriel.

Those fighters and more were present Wednesday during the ONE on Prime Video 5 pre-event press conference, which you can watch in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for ONE on Prime Video 5.

Arjan Bhullar vs. Anatoly Malykhin heavyweight title unification bout set for ONE Championship 161

Arjan Bhullar has his ONE Championship return booked.

[autotag]Arjan Bhullar[/autotag] has a date and opponent for his return to the cage.

The ONE Championship heavyweight champion is set to unify the titles against interim champion [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag] on Sept. 29 at ONE championship 161 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.

The news was reported by Ariel Helwani on Wednesday.

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Bhullar (11-1) most recently fought in April 2021 when he won the ONE Championship belt by taking it from then-champ Brandon Vera with a second-round TKO. Bhullar only has fought twice since his departure from the UFC in the summer of 2019, and is 2-0.

Malykhin (11-0) won the interim title in his most recent outing in February. He knocked out Kirill Grishenko in the second round to win the belt. The 34-year-old is undefeated with a 3-0 record in ONE Championship.

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10 heavyweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

The return of Dana White’s Contender Series isn’t far off, and here are 10 big men who are candidates to appear on the show.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a focal point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, and you’re in.

Rumored for a late-June 2020 start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced quite yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

We begin with the big boys – heavyweights.

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Hugo Cunha

Record: 5-0
Age: 27
Height: 6’4″
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro

Brazil is known for its roots in jiu-jitsu, but [autotag]Hugo Cunha[/autotag] lives by his wrestling. A coach to Alex Oliviera, Thiago Santos and more, Cunha is highly touted among Brazilians for his wrestling abilities, but his ground skills don’t stop there. Cunha also has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Competing for Future FC, Titan FC, and WOCS, Cunha has finished all five of his professional fights. He’s green, but he’s improving. What better way to figure out if he’s ready for the big leagues than DWCS?

Image via CFFC

Chris Daukaus

Record: 8-3
Age: 30
Height: 6’2″
Birthplace: Philadelphia

Brother of DWCS Season 3 competitor Kyle Daukaus, [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] deserves his fix, too. After starting his career at 2-2, Daukaus has won six of seven. His lone loss in the stretch came against Azunna Anyanwu – a fight he was largely winning. Daukaus is currently booked to face a DWCS alumnus Shawn Teed, one of the three men to hold wins over Daukaus. If Daukaus successfully defends his CFFC title and avenges a loss in the process, DWCS should be next.

More fighters on the next page:

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