Anatoly "Sladkiy" Malykhin, a Russian superstar, understands what it takes to become a ONE World Champion, and he spotted the same potential in two of his countrymen.
Follow Us
Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin, a Russian superstar, understands what it takes to become a ONE World Champion, and he spotted the same potential in two of his countrymen at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video. The reigning ONE Light Heavyweight and Interim Heavyweight World Champion watched as Mansur Malachiev and Ilya Freymanov both won big MMA fights last Friday, and he expects them to contend for gold in the near future.
Malachiev was the first to participate at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, and the debutant strawweight improved to 11-0 with a first-round submission victory over top striker Jeremy Miado. Following the match, “Sladkiy” lauded the dominant performance and believes it propelled the emerging star into contention for the division’s World Title.
He said to ONEFC.com: “It was a wonderful fight! Once again, Malachiev proved that Dagestan wrestling carries a lot of weight and everyone should take it seriously. It was a great debut. What more do you need?
“I believe he will fight for the belt soon. He was able to put the strawweight division on notice. A win is always a great statement.”
Later in the evening, Freymanov followed his first-round submission of Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg with a spectacular debut knockout of former two-division king Martin Nguyen. The Mongolian’s thunderous right hand knocked the #3-ranked featherweight contender to the ground early in the fight, but he immediately recovered to put on a clinical exhibition to win. Malykhin had this to say about Freymanov’s back-and-forth:
“Ilya is the next champion. He was a little bit too relaxed during the first minute of the bout. But then he came back, won the fight, and took home a US$50,000 bonus.
“He was knocked down by his opponent at the beginning of the fight. It was a very dangerous moment, for sure. His strength is his fighting IQ. He is a very smart fighter.
“He has some light injuries, but I think he will be back on track soon, and after one or two more fights, he will fight for the belt.” h/t: ONEFC
For more UFC news and updates click here
Read: 10 Most Iconic UFC Octagon Moments
Also read: Who will Holly Holm fight next?
Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
