Undefeated Russian megalith Anatoly “Spartak” Malykhin is finally set for his ONE Championship debut – and the man with an 8-0 mixed martial arts record promises to make it a short night.
Malykhin will take on Alexandre “Bebezao” Machado at ONE: FISTS OF FURY II, a previously recorded event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium that airs this Friday, 5 March.
“I feel amazing. Physically, I am very prepared and I can’t wait to enter the cage to show the world what I can do,” Malykhin said ahead of his co-main event clash.
“Honestly, I don’t know exactly why I have got this reputation. Everybody sees I am undefeated, that I beat people, but right now, I want to tell them to study me and let them know that I am coming out of the darkness.”
Indeed, the Russian is coming into the light – the light of the striking world.
He recently moved to the birthplace of Muay Thai to sharpen his skills in “the art of eight limbs,” and he wants to put his newfound striking on display this Friday.
“My base and my fundamentals are freestyle wrestling, but when I moved to Thailand and Tiger Muay Thai, I started to strengthen my striking,” Malykhin said.
“In this fight with Machado, I want to show both – my striking skills as well as my wrestling.”
Machado, however, won’t be a punching bag. He’s a former ONE Light Heavyweight World Title challenger and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
“He has a couple of strengths. One is his way of working. He likes to be the first to attack. He likes to get the confidence, so you have to make sure not to give that confidence to him,” the 33-year-old Malykhin said of Machado.
“Secondly, he has his jiu-jitsu, but in my opinion, jiu-jitsu is nothing against freestyle wrestling. Plus, my jiu-jitsu is not bad because I am a European Champion in grappling.”
Malykhin won’t reveal any specific tactics he has for the grappling ace, but he does feel confident he can finish Machado early.
“Honestly, I don’t like guessing and saying my strategy, but the only thing I can tell you is I’m very excited to jump in the cage with ONE,” the Russian states.
“I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time, and I look forward to finishing Alexandre in the second round.” Watch Malykhin’s debut at the previously recorded ONE: FISTS OF FURY II this Friday, 5 March, for free on the ONE Super App.
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