Anatoly Malykhin reclaimed the ONE Championship heavyweight MMA title in brutal fashion – then dropped an even bigger bombshell.
The 38-year-old Russian knocked out Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane in the fourth round of their rematch at The Inner Circle on Friday night in Bangkok, before announcing he was retiring from the sport.
Anatoly Malykhin celebrates after regaining three-division champion status in ONE Championship
It came after the most chaotic ending Lumpinee Stadium is likely to ever see, with a wild brawl breaking out between the two corners immediately after referee Olivier Coste had waved the fight off.
Malykhin had just floored Kane with a brutal four-punch sequence, after patiently breaking the Senegalese champion down for more than three rounds.
But as Coste stepped in, Malykhin threw a kick towards Kane on the canvas – sparking fury from Reug Reug’s corner.
Several members of Kane’s team climbed on to the ring apron and confronted Malykhin, who stood in front of them with his tongue out and blood streaming from a nasty cut down the middle of his forehead.
Anatoly Malykhin lays his gloves down in the ring and retires at The Inner Circle
Malykhin’s corner then charged across the ring, and ugly scenes followed as both teams clashed while officials tried to restore order.
One member of Malykhin’s team appeared to leap through the air and strike a member of Kane’s camp at ringside. The Bangkok Post understands Reug Reug’s manager suffered a serious leg injury during the incident, after being sent toppling from the ring to the floor.
Security, ONE officials, judges, the timekeeper and the ringside doctor all entered the ring as Coste tried to separate those involved, while some spectators also appeared to climb over the ringside barriers amid the confusion.
Tensions had been building all week.
Anatoly Malykhin wobbles Reug Reug with a right hook – before quickly ending the fight
Malykhin and Kane traded verbal barbs at Thursday’s official face-offs, with their respective teams also shouting across the divide before ONE staff separated the champion and challenger after filming had finished.
It followed two physical altercations during fight week for their first meeting at ONE 169 last November, when Kane shocked Malykhin by split decision to claim the title. The pair had tussled at the fighter hotel in front of journalists on media day, then again on stage at the official pre-event press conference.
By Friday night, the bad blood had clearly carried over.
The post-fight chaos briefly overshadowed the result, but the two fighters eventually embraced once tempers had cooled.
Anatoly Malykhin and Reug Reug playfully tussle after tensions had been eased at Lumpinee Stadium
Kane, who had remained on the canvas during much of the initial skirmish, was still unsteady on his feet when he was helped up. He and Malykhin later raised each other’s hands, with the Russian even playfully shooting in for a takedown before the official decision was read.
Malykhin then left the ring and launched himself into the crowd, embracing UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan, his close friend and teammate, before returning to centre stage.
His three MMA world titles were draped across his shoulders and waist as he screamed into the camera. He later hoisted commentator Mitch Chilson onto his shoulders and ran around the ring while Chilson waved to the crowd.
Then came the surprise.
“I want to say a big thank you to Mr Chatri [Sityodtong, ONE CEO] for giving me an amazing six years,” Malykhin said in his in-ring interview.
“I started losing the love for this sport but being here today and having the support of everyone in the stadium – half the people here travelled from Russia. I’ve got Petr Yan here, I’ve been training with him for the past two weeks.
“Mr Chatri, thank you so much. How great is life?
“I love you brother, but I’m done.”
Anatoly Malykhin and Reug Reug look with the result of their rematch set to be read out
Malykhin, who lives and trains in Phuket, said he was ready to return home to Russia after a six-year run in ONE that saw him win heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight MMA gold.
“I want to say thank you to all the Thai people watching,” he said. “I’ve lived here the last six years. These people have changed my life.
“That’s it, I’m going back to Altai and taking care of my cows and my dogs. I’m tired of spilling blood and being away from home.
“Mr Chatri, thank you so much because you changed my life these past six years. I’ve never disappointed you and you’ve never disappointed me. I love you. This is my family.”
Friday night’s scenes came at the end of a fight that had been largely uneventful until Malykhin finally found the finish.
For long stretches, the rematch fell into a familiar pattern from their first encounter, with Kane backing himself into the corner of the ring and Malykhin trying to draw him out.
Coste repeatedly warned both men for inactivity, and at one point threatened yellow cards as the crowd grew restless.
The decision to hold the rematch in a ring, rather than a cage, also became a key tactical subplot.
Kane used the corners and ropes to limit Malykhin’s pressure, camping in position and forcing the former three-division champion to work patiently for openings. A cage would likely have forced him to circle away more often, with fewer places to stall the Russian’s advance.
Malykhin bided his time, attacking the body, throwing feints and trying to make Kane drop his guard.
For most of the fight, his punches had bounced off Kane’s head with little visible effect.
That changed with just over a minute left in the fourth round.
A right hand finally crept through and staggered Kane. Malykhin followed with a left, then two more right hands in a ruthless finishing sequence that sent Reug Reug crashing to the canvas.
The fallout from the brawl is likely to continue, with fines and suspensions possible.
Anatoly Malykhin carries Mitch Chilson on his shoulders around the ring
In a post on his official X account after the fight, Kane called for members of Malykhin’s team to be banned from future ONE events at Lumpinee Stadium.
“This isn’t what our sport is about, you can see I’m on the floor and the officials are allowing these guys to jump on me,” the post read.
“If these guys from Tiger Muay Thai are allowed to step foot in a ONE arena again, any of them, I’m done. I will never fight here again.”
Kane also accused members of Malykhin’s team of racist behaviour in the same post.
In a separate post, Kane’s account claimed Malykhin had been taken to hospital with “a broken leg and broken eye socket”, while also striking a more conciliatory note.
“We win, we lose,” the post read. “I’m good, just made a mistake, but we win and lose like gentlemen.”
ONE had not announced any disciplinary action at the time of writing.
