Anatoly Malykhin Recharges With ‘Siberian Strength, Power, And Energy’ In Visit To His Childhood Wrestling School

Now two months removed from his sensational World Title unification win over Arjan Bhullar, reigning ONE Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin is returning to his roots.

The two-division titleholder recently paid a visit to his hometown of Kemerovo, Russia, where he was happy to receive a hero’s welcome.

Undefeated and boasting a 100 percent finishing rate, the man known as “Sladkiy” is undeniably one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound MMA fighters and a true global superstar.

That fame and acclaim haven’t gone to Malykhin’s head, though, and he humbly reconnected with the people and longtime training partners who helped shape him into the combat sports icon that he’s become today.

The Russian told onefc.com about his trip:

“I am very glad that I came to my hometown of Kemerovo, where I was able to recharge myself with this Siberian strength, power, and energy.

“I was also glad to see all my friends with whom I had trained before. A lot of guys were happy to see me, and I was very happy to see them. We discussed some things, remembered some stories from childhood and youth, and how we used to train.”

Malykhin Speaks To Young Wrestlers Back Home

Beyond connecting with old friends and charging his batteries with that “Siberian strength,” Anatoly Malkhin brought his victory tour to a place that was instrumental in molding him as an athlete.

He said:

“I also met with kids from a wrestling school I used to attend, and I told them a story about my first coach.”

Nowadays, “Sladkiy” is feared and revered for his athletic prowess. And even though he’s never once seen the judges’ scorecards across 13 career fights, he’s proven to possess incredible cardio and endurance.

But that wasn’t always the case for the two-division kingpin.

As he told a gym full of young wrestlers sitting exactly where he once sat, a young Malykhin needed some extra encouragement – and nourishment – to keep up with other children:

“When we were small and used to do long-distance running as part of training, I was already a heavy-built kid and, of course, could not run in the front. I was always the last or second-last one running. But still, my coach loved me very much, and in order not to belittle me, but on the contrary to cheer me up and help me, he ran ahead and always took bread with him.

“He had small squares of sliced bread, which he sprinkled with salt and buttered. And on the way, when the race was long, he fed me so that I had strength to run and energy. It was such a simple form of human care, and I have the warmest memories of that time.”