Islam Makhachev is considered to be the best pound-for-pound athlete in the UFC. With a 25-1 professional record and 13 consecutive victories, the UFC Lightweight Champion’s success warrants the accolades. However, even Makhachev does not view himself as the most dominant athlete in the sport.
The reigning UFC lightweight king bestows that honor on a different Russian. Makhachev gave the title of world’s most dangerous man to Anatoly Malykhin following his third-round TKO victory over Reinier De Ridder. The win made him the sport’s first-ever three-division World Champion.
Malykhin rose to prominence in ONE Championship‘s heavyweight division with brutalizing power. After capturing the ONE Interim Heavyweight MMA World Title, he moved down to light heavyweight to capture gold there as well. Malykhin then dominated Arjan Bhullar to unify the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Championship.
Nobody has been able to threaten him in any division. The most fear-inducing part for any upcoming title challenger is that he is only getting better. Malykhin is finding new ways in and out of the gym to become a better martial artist in every facet. It is unsurprising that other world-class athletes like Makhachev are in awe of the three-division king.
Makhachev posted his thoughts on Malykhin on his Instagram stories following ONE 166: Qatar. The photo was Malykhin wearing gold around his waist and over both shoulders. The unprecedented feat has clearly captured the attention of the martial arts world.
As Malykhin continues to gain more respect, he is also becoming a bigger star in the sport. The jovial Russian has the It Factor. “Sladkiy” is a must-watch athlete every time he steps onto the global stage, and he appears set to be a longtime champion across multiple divisions.
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