Anatoly Malykhin’s Quest for Three-Division Glory Hinges on His Former Opponent

Anatoly Malykhin is aiming for three-division glory, but one fighter could prevent him from chasing history.

The Russian powerhouse was recently crowned the undisputed ONE Heavyweight World Champion after he defeated former titleholder Arjan Bhullar, and he called out Reinier de Ridder for his middleweight strap in his post-fight interview.

“The Dutch Knight” wasted no time in responding to the challenge. On his Instagram page, he called for a fight against Shamil Erdogan first, though, before he’d be open to welcoming Malykhin to the division. 

Erdogan made his promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 22 on June 23 – the same card that Malykhin claimed the undisputed heavyweight throne. The undefeated Turkish star knocked out ONE veteran Fan Rong in the second round of their match, and he left a good impression on De Ridder. 

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While the Breda native has been vocal about a rematch with Malykhin, it’s not surprising to see him call for a match against Erdogan first. De Ridder has only seen action once this year, losing a tightly-contested submission grappling bout against Tye Ruotolo, so he’d obviously like to get back in the swing of things before meeting “Sladkiy.” 

Anatoly Malykhin’s fate with tied with Reiner De Ridder

Whether he gets first rights at fighting “The Dutch Knight” or not makes no difference to the new undisputed heavyweight king, as long as his old foe understands that they are fated to dance for a World Title again at some point.

“I think De Ridder has already understood everything about me and he definitely understands that me calling him out is serious,” Malykhin told ONE Championship. 

“I think he understood what really is going on.”

The 35-year-old isn’t offended by De Ridder seeking a fight with someone else before him. He is familiar with Erdogan, having competed against him in the past, and he has built a relationship with him.

That said, he does think that his chase to become the first three-division World Champion will not materialize if the Dutchman faces his friend, as De Ridder will no longer be middleweight king after their tussle. 

Read more: “I’m Trying to Put Out Some Really Big Fights” – Chatri Sityodtong Agreed to Affirm Anatoly Malykhin’s Callout Alongwith Setting Up a Few Other Enthralling Bouts

“Shamil is a friend of mine,” he revealed. “He beat me in freestyle wrestling in the past. He has got great wrestling, already good kickboxing. He’s a good, calm, balanced fighter and a man, a great representative of his nation.”

“I think that if he meets Shamil, Shamil will become the champion, and he’ll reign in 93 kg. So, I will not meet De Ridder if he faces Shamil, and I will be the champion in 102 kg and in heavyweight, 120 kg. I train together with Shamil. I won’t fight him.”