“I will definitely do the knockout” - Anatoly Malykhin vows explosive finish to reclaim heavyweight belt from ‘Reug Reug’

Russian powerhouse Anatoly Malykhin vows a better performance when he reengages with his Senegalese rival 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane later this year. It is line with his push to reclaim the ONE heavyweight MMA world title he lost in their first encounter last year.

The two are set for a title rematch at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Nov. 16. It is part of a huge event being assembled by ONE Championship which will emanate from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

In the press conference for ONE 173 earlier this week, Malykhin made his intentions known in his rematch against reigning heavyweight MMA king 'Reug Reug', including how he is gunning for an explosive finish by way of knockout.

The ONE middleweight and light heavyweight world champion said:

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"Last time it wasn’t a knockout - it was like a dance. When the match started, my opponent was doing some kind of a dance. This time, it is a rematch, I will definitely do the knockout, and I will be more stubborn this time."

Anatoly Malykhin and 'Reug Reug' first met in November last year at ONE 169. The latter got early traction in the contest when he was able to take down Malykhin and employ his crack wrestling skills.

The Phuket-based fighter was able to find his groove as the fight wore on, but 'Reug Reug' held tough to notch the split decision victory and add his name to ONE Championship's roster of champions.

ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri will be the second event of ONE Championship in Japan this year. For more information on the event, visit www.onefc.com.

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Anatoly Malykhin confident of reclaiming heavyweight MMA belt

Even before a rematch was confirmed between him and 'Reug Reug,' Anatoly Malykhin has set his sights on reclaiming the ONE heavyweight MMA championship belt and confident in succeeding in it.

He spoke about it in an interview with ONE Championship late last year, highlighting that among his immediate goals was to become heavyweight king again.

37-year-old Malykhin said:

“In the ring, my goal is simple – to reclaim my title. And I’m confident I’ll do it."

Apart from reclaiming the heavyweight MMA gold at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri in November, Anatoly Malykhin is also looking for a win to build another streak after seeing his undefeated professional run come to a stop at 14 straight victories last time around.

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Edited by C. Naik