At ONE 166:Qatar, Malykhin defeated Reinier de Ridder for the ONE Middleweight MMA world title, adding to the light-heavyweight and heavyweight crowns he currently holds – becoming the first fighter to ever hold titles at three different weights concurrently.
The 36-year-old is 14-0 in his MMA career and has never even been taken the distance – it was only in his last two fights that he discovered what it was like to come out of a second round.
In response to Makhachev’s words, Malykhin was humbled, and also expressed his admiration for the man from Dagestan.
“It’s very inspiring to hear that,” said Malykhin. “Islam is the pound-for-pound number-one fighter. I’ve been following him for quite a long time. I used to watch Khabib’s fights, too. To see that, it’s an amazing sign of respect.”
