Rustam Yunusov got his ONE Championship tenure off to a great start last week, and he’s already received the stamp of approval from three-weight ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin.
The 17-year-old triumphantly won his debut last Friday, March 8, at ONE Friday Fights 54, defeating Ramu Arya by unanimous decision. The victory took Yusunov to 10-0-1, and Malykhin believes the flyweight Muay Thai prodigy’s talents are limitless.
“I would like to thank ONE Championship for giving Rustam this opportunity. He showed his spirit, his character, delighted the Russian audience with his beautiful [skills], and gave [the fans] a show,” Malykhin said.
“As for Rustam’s skills, he’s a very technical guy. Even though he’s still very young, I think he’s going to get better every year. In the near future he will be very hard to stop. I am sure that Yunusov has a very good chance to win the ONE belt, and I am sure that he will show brilliant fights and the audience will love him.”
Malykhin knows all too well what it’s like to shake the foundations of a division upon arriving in ONE. The Russian juggernaut is also unbeaten across 14 professional contests, having knocked out 10 consecutive opponents. Six of those finishes happened en route to him becoming a three-weight king. So if anybody has the blueprint to success, it’s “Sladkiy.”
Anatoly Malykhin speaks on guiding the next generation of fighters
Three-weight ONE World Champion Anatoly Malykhin has cemented his legacy after capturing his third World Title in a row at ONE 166: Qatar earlier this month, and now he wants to help the next generation realize its full potential.
Malykhin recently cornered flyweight Muay Thai prodigy Rustam Yusunov to a unanimous decision win at ONE Friday Fights 54 on March 8. And to him, guiding tomorrow’s stars to success is just as important to him as his own accolades in ONE Championship.
“I am very happy to be in his [Rustam Yunusov’s] corner, to be a part of our guys’ victories, to share the joy with them. Because for me, sport is life. I live it, so I always try to be in the corner of our guys and support them,” Malykhin said. “I’m happy that they’re winning, that they’re making their way in life with their hard work, their perseverance, their spirit – it’s very cool.”
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Malykhin believes Yusunov’s potential can see him go on to face ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon down the line. But it goes without saying that it’s still very early days in the 17-year-old’s career. However, “Sladkiy” has called his shot correctly each time he’s stepped inside ONE’s Circle. And if he’s using that same vision for Yusunov, he could be right on the money once again.