Reigning UFC lightweight champion and the organization’s best fighter regardless of weight class, Islam Makhachev, did not ignore the achievement of his compatriot Anatoly Malykhin, who last weekend took the ONE middleweight title from Dutchman Rainier de Ridder and became the first triple champion in mixed martial arts history.
“The most dangerous guy on the planet,” the Russian fighter wrote on social media, posting a photo of Malykhin holding three championship belts.
The title fight between Anatoly Malykhin and Rainier de Ridder, headlining the ONE 166 tournament in Qatar, ended at the 1:16 mark of the third round after the battered Dutchman refused to get up from the floor and continue the fight.
In December 2022, Malykhin stripped de Ridder of his ONE heavyweight title by winning the fight by first-round technical knockout, and last June, the Russian successfully unified the current and interim ONE heavyweight titles by finishing Arjan Bullard by third-round technical knockout.
Islam Makhachev made two successful defenses of his championship belt last year, defeating Alexander Volkanovski in the first fight by unanimous decision and then knocking out the Australian in a rematch. The Russian lightweight plans to return to the octagon this summer.
Source: https://fighttime.ru/news/item/34085-islam-makhachev-otreagiroval-na-pobedu-anatoliya-malykhina.html?rand=19907
