“The best performance” – Anatoly Malykhin inspired to produce career-best display at monumental ONE 166 bill in Qatar

ONE heavyweight and light heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin is ready to put on a career-best performance when he fights for a historic third world championship.

On March 1, ONE Championship will make its highly anticipated debut in Qatar with a loaded lineup of can’t-miss matches.

In the main event of the evening, current two-division king Anatoly Malykhin will challenge former foe Reinier de Ridder, with ‘The Dutch Knight’ putting his middleweight crown on the line.

If Malykhin emerges victorious, he will be the first fighter in MMA history to hold three belts simultaneously:

“I'm looking forward to the fight," Malykhin told the South China Morning Post. “I'm looking forward to going to Qatar because I heard so many good things about the country, and about the people, and I'm getting ready. I just want to give the people the best show and the best performance.

“I'm willing to go there and give the best show. I want to see all the support. I want to hear all the claps, all the screams of all the people.”

See the full interview below:

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Will Anatoly Malykhin maintain his signature power at middleweight?

Hoping to keep Anatoly Malykhin from making history is Reinier de Ridder, one of ONE Championship’s most dangerous submission specialists.

Stepping inside the circle with Malykhin at ONE on Prime Video 5, ‘The Dutch Knight’ surrendered his light heavyweight title in the opening round after he failed to wrestle the Russian juggernaut down to the mat.

With Malykhin dropping down to middleweight, many wonder if he can maintain his strength and explosive power against a man with 12 submissions across 16 career wins.

Check your local listings or visit ONE Championship's official website on how to watch ONE 166: Qatar from your location. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch the event via pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.