Anatoly Malykhin recently knocked out Reinier de Ridder and won the ONE Championship light heavyweight world title. And he did so in a dominant fashion.
So, it’s no wonder that he is immensely focused and motivated to fight his next opponents… One of which could be Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida.

However, Malykhin isn’t particularly looking forward to competing against the BJJ legend. He explained why during the ONE on Prime Video 5 post-fight press conference:

I like Buchecha, he’s a good guy. Maybe I’ll fight Buchecha next year.
I really like him as a person so I wouldn’t want to fight him honestly. But if he keeps calling me out, of course, I will accept the fight.

However, the “Sladkiy” understands that he’d have to level-up his BJJ skills for the fight:

But he [Buchecha] and De Ridder, I cannot compare them because he’s so much better than Reinier in Jiu-Jitsu.

So if I happen to fight him, I will have to update my skills in Jiu-Jitsu.

And Buchecha? Buchecha would, most likely, be ready for the fight himself – as discipline is one of the driving forces in his life:

If you don’t give yourself, like, 100% of yourself in anything that you do… You’re not going to get the results that you’re expecting.

So, I think that everything starts with this discipline. Since when you wake up, when you open up your eyes… On the bed, when you go to sleep…
So, [in] everything you have to have discipline. And it’s going to reflect at the end of the day, in your results.

Finish fights in the gi with this 4-part guide to leg locking mastery from Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida.

• Buchecha is a record 13-Time black belt World Champion in the gi, with a unique blend of technical skill and dynamic motion.
• Submit from top and bottom position, including with Buchecha’s signature spinning kneebar that he has used many times at black belt.
• Win with leg locks from 50/50 and stop getting slowed down by this common grappling position.
• Use kneebars, toe holds, foot locks, calf slicers, and more to effectively get more submissions than ever in gi grappling.