Anatoly Malykhin will be coming to the United States in November to defend the ONE heavyweight MMA championship at ONE 169: Atlanta. But he is just as excited for ONE 168: Denver on Friday, Sep. 6, as he is for his own upcoming match.
The marquee matchup on the stacked card that has his full attention is the showdown between Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai title, and “Sladkiy” offered his thoughts on it in a recent interview.
“Haggerty is on a roll right now, but Superlek has also been performing beautifully. I think the winner will be the one who is mentally better prepared because both of them have proven their skills in the ring,” Malykhin stated to ONE.
It’s easy to see why the three-division ONE world champion is excited for the title tilt. Both men have dominated their competition lately and stand firmly atop their respective divisions.
Superlek is unbeaten in his last 10 kickboxing and Muay Thai matches in ONE, with wins over Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Takeru Segawa in that run, and he holds the ONE flyweight kickboxing title. His last outing was at ONE Friday Fights 68 last month, where he defeated Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in flyweight Muay Thai action.
Meanwhile, ever since Haggerty moved up to bantamweight, he has looked outstanding. In his last three performances, the Brit has knocked out Nong-O Hama, Fabricio Andrade, and Felipe Lobo and claimed both the bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing crowns.
Malykhin has nothing but rave reviews for both men ahead of their thrilling tilt. He knows they have unique styles and strengths, and he broke down where each man will hold an advantage when ONE 168 rolls around.
“They are unyielding, have strong characters, and can turn a fight around. It’s going to be a good fight,” he commented.
“Superlek is big for this weight class and works very well with his elbows, often cutting his opponents. His advantage will be elbow strikes and size. Haggerty’s advantage is his speed and technique.”
If fans were looking for a prediction from the heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight MMA king, he has unfortunately left them disappointed this time.
The Russian believes it’s just too close to call. However, he is sure that U.S. fans will be treated to a five-round war inside Denver’s Ball Arena on Sep. 6.
“Who will win? Only the gods will decide that day. Is a knockout guaranteed? I think this fight will go the distance,” Malykhin said.
ONE 168: Denver airs live on Prime Video to all U.S. and Canadian Amazon Prime subscribers on Friday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.