Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin

Reigning ONE Interim Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin quickly rose through the ranks by pairing his impressive wrestling skills with his concussive power.

The Russian star’s grandfather introduced him to wrestling when he was young, and the competitiveness of the sport kept his interest. As a reward for his success – which included national medals – Malykhin earned the Master of Sport honor in freestyle wrestling in his homeland.

Mixed martial arts piqued his interest later in life, but the physicality and toughness he had acquired through years on the mats meant he took to the new sport seamlessly. Malykhin faced stern opposition early in his MMA career, overcoming massive deficits in experience by employing thunderous takedowns and heavy strikes.

Boasting a perfect 8-0 slate, he inked a deal to compete in ONE Championship in 2021 and quickly became a breakout success thanks to his combination of ferocious skills and fun-loving personality.

After earning a pair of first-round knockouts against former ONE World Title challenger Alexandre Machado and Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion Amir Aliakbari, the Russian powerhouse was given the chance to compete for the richest prize in the sport.

In February 2022, Malykhin met Kirill Grishenko for the ONE Interim Heavyweight World Championship while the division’s king, Arjan Bhullar, was sidelined. “Sladkiy” finished his Belarusian foe in the second round to win the gold, lining up a unification bout with his Canadian-Indian rival.

Injuries continued to plague Bhullar, keeping him sidelined for an even longer extended period of time. While he recovered, Malykhin kept busy and in December 2022, he became the first person to knock out Reinier de Ridder to win the ONE Light Heavyweight World Title. That victory effectively made the Russian powerhouse an undefeated two-division king.