Fights to Make for Three Division ONE Champion, Anatoly Malykhin After His Performances at ONE 166

Anatoly Malykhin made history this past weekend by becoming the first athlete to hold three World Titles simultaneously in ONE Championship. And while there may not much more for the Russian superstar to chase, he now has an even bigger target on his back.

In the main event of ONE 166: Qatar – ONE’s triumphant return show in the Middle East – Malykhin claimed the middleweight MMA belt by finishing Reinier de Ridder for a second time in the third round. He added the coveted crown to the promotion’s heavyweight and light heavyweight straps, which he won in 2022 and 2023, respectively, with the victory, and extended his unbeaten professional slate to 14 fights in the process.

Malykhin is now the top priority for contenders across three divisions, so the answer to the question of who comes next for him is a laundry list of talented stars. With that in mind, let’s break down three that may be at the very top.

“Reug Reug” Oumar Kane

Senegalese wrecking ball “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane is on an impressive three-fight win streak in the world’s largest martial organization and holds a 5-1 record overall.

In his latest outing, at ONE Fight Night 13 last August, the hulking heavyweight scored his biggest win yet when he snapped grappling legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida’s undefeated MMA run.

Kane’s confidence has grown exponentially since then, and he has been calling out Malykhin on social media every chance he gets.

With the dynamite hands and superior wrestling he has displayed so far in ONE, “Reug Reug” may represent the biggest threat to Malykhin’s heavyweight reign.

Anatoly Malykhin vs. Amir Aliakbari II

Another heavyweight star that could bring the fight to “Sladkiy” is Iranian powerhouse Amir Aliakbari, who has claimed victory in his last four fights in ONE Championship.

He may have suffered back-to-back losses to Kang Ji Won and Malykhin upon his arrival to the promotion in 2021, but the Tehran native has found his stride since then.

Aliakbari added to his run of form this past weekend when he defeated former heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar at ONE 166, so he is undoubtedly in the hunt to challenge the Russian divisional king.

That said, he has expressed a desire to revisit his rivalry with Kang first before moving on to Malykhin, so ONE may let him take a shot at redemption against the South Korean before he makes a run at the crown.

Also Read: ONE 166: Anatoly Malykhin Makes History by Becoming the First 3 Division World Champion in Major MMA Promotions

Aung La N Sang

Turning to the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, one name that comes to mind is the former king of both brackets, Aung La N Sang.

“The Burmese Python” was once one of the most dominant fighters on the planet. However, he was left reeling when he lost his World Titles to Reinier de Ridder in 2020 and 2021.

It didn’t take him long to find form after that, though, and he has now won four of his last five fights in ONE. Three of those came by first-round knockout, and his latest victory was a second-round submission expense of Chinese star Fan Rong.

Aung la’s losses to De Ridder, whom Malykhin has beaten twice, may suggest he wouldn’t stand much of a chance against the middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight king. But counting out the 36-year-old legend in his current run of dominance would be a big mistake.

Also Read: 3 Big Fight Fights to Be Made After ONE 166: Qatar Involving Jared Brooks, Gary Tonon and Tang Kai