“I lifted a lot of weights” – Reinier de Ridder says he built strength to prepare for Anatoly Malykhin rematch at ONE 166

Former two-division world titleholder and current reigning and undisputed ONE middleweight MMA world champion ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder knows just what he’s up against when he rematches Russian mauler ‘Sladkiy’ Anatoly Malykhin next week.

De Ridder and Malykhin run it back in the main event of ONE 166: Qatar, which broadcasts live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar on Friday, March 1. The ONE middleweight MMA world title will be on the line.

De Ridder says Malykhin’s strength was the toughest to deal with in their first fight in December of 2022, when he lost the light heavyweight strap to the Russian star. Now, he says he has prepared for it.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, De Ridder said he’s been gaining strength to prepare for the Malykhin rematch.

‘The Dutch Knight’ said:

“One of the big things is, he just naturally has, like 10, 15 kilos on me, maybe even more. He has very wide shoulders, wide back, long arms. So that was something that was easy to work on. Right? So it's an easy thing, just lift weights, I lifted a lot of weights and I ate a lot of food, try and get a bit heavier. So that's one thing that I did.”

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Reinier de Ridder sizes up Anatoly Malykhin: “Overall, a big, strong, and dangerous guy”

There’s no question Anatoly Malykhin has been Reinier de Ridder’s toughest test to date. He told InTheCage in a recent interview:

“He’s pretty relaxed. So he doesn't really rush. He works in and out very well, footwork is pretty good too. His takedown defense is not that bad as well. So just overall, a big, strong, and dangerous guy."

It all comes to a head at ONE 166.

ONE 166: Qatar broadcasts live on Friday, March 1, to existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada. Fans can catch all the action live and free. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on ONE Championship.