Anatoly Malykhin deems Oumar Kane “easy work” ahead of ONE 169
Back at his natural weight, three-division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin is oozing confidence ahead of ONE 169.
“Sladkiy” defends his heavyweight MMA crown against “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane this Friday, November 8, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. Despite the tension between the two at Wednesday’s pre-fight press conference, Malykhin was all smiles.
The Russian has paid attention to Kane’s rise in ONE Championship. He’s seen the Senegalese develop over the course of his recent three-fight winning streak. But Malykhin is not impressed by his overall attributes.
“This guy is very powerful. Good power. Good balance. But [he’s] very, very slow. Not good cardio,” Malykhin said.
Malykhin has dominated the heavyweight realm since his arrival three years ago. He’s risen to 14-0, making light work of every foe including former two-weight MMA king Reinier De Ridder, former heavyweight ruler Arjan Bhullar, and Amir Aliakbari.
And when he was asked to size up Kane, Malykhin revealed that doesn’t view his heavyweight nemesis as anything special as he looks to cruise through the Senegalese contender this Friday.
“Easy work. Easy money,” Malykhin said.
“He’s dangerous, but on November 8, ‘Slo-Mo’ is easy work.”
Anatoly Malykhin sees his role reversed at ONE 169
Three-weight ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin has enjoyed a lucrative rise to the top of the ladder. He wasted no time making history in three weight classes.
But now the roles are reversed. The hunter is now the hunted. And he’ll be looking to retain the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title when he meets “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane this Friday at ONE 169.
The Senegalese challenger also holds an unworldly amount of striking power. And with “Reug Reug’s” size, stature, and willingness to get gritty, Malykhin will have to be careful entering the fray.
That said, Malykhin has been doubted before. Many looked at his dream of being a three-weight king as unattainable. But the Russian powerhouse has silenced those doubters, and he’ll be eager to make critics eat their words again this weekend.
