“Rodtang comes out for blood, for a knockout.” Malykhin enjoyed ONE 167 fights

The ONE 167 tournament took place in Bangkok: Thawanchai vs Nattawut II. The tournament’s guest of honor was Anatoly Malykhin, an undefeated Russian fighter who holds ONE belt in three weight classes.

Main Event: Tavanchai defends his title

In the main event of the tournament, two knockout artists, Tavanchai and Joe Nattawut, faced each other in a rematch. The ONE Muay Thai featherweight world title (70.3 kg) was at stake. Tavanchai had already defeated Nattavut last year, and this time again he managed to beat his opponent. The fight lasted five rounds and was very close. In the championship rounds, both fighters gave their all, but the judges gave the victory to Tavanchai. By the decision of the judges, he won and was able to defend the championship belt.

Comment from Anatoly Malykhin for ONE League:

“I was expecting a good stand-up fight and was confident it would go the distance. We saw all the beauty of the striking technique and enjoyed watching their beautiful “shootout”. I wouldn’t say Tavanchai was dominant in the last fight with Nattawut, it was a close fight, just like this time. I was in the locker room at the time and I remember a lot of people were torn. The fight again proved difficult and Tavanchai won with a slight advantage.

Rodtang returns with victory

Rodtang returned to the ring after a nine-month break and recovery from injury. His opponent was A 39-year-old veteran, Denis Puric, from Bosnia, who had long challenged Rodtang in a fight. The fight was fought under kickboxing rules with a weight of 141.25 pounds (64 kg), as Rodtang was unable to make weight the day before. Due to this, the Thai fighter lost 25% of his fee of 10 million baht (24.5 million rubles).

Fans saw a new Rodtang: he previously relied on pressing and advancing, but this time he actively worked with large combinations, moved at high speed and moved a lot in the cage. After nine minutes of action, the 26-year-old Thai fighter won by decision and improved his overall record to 272-43.

Comment from Anatoly Malykhin:

— I’m a fan of Rodtang, because he always comes out by knockout and his fights attract millions of viewers to the screens. He wants blood, a knockout, and generally spares neither himself nor his opponent. Rodtang is definitely one of our family’s favorites. Anita and I don’t miss any of his fights. Denis is already a veteran. Rodtang was very motivated, he is younger, physically stronger, and it was difficult for Denis. But he survived all three rounds – he is an experienced fighter. Dealing with the pressure from Rodtang is very difficult.

Ruotolo’s MMA debut

One of the best grapplers in the world and ONE lightweight grappling champion, Cade Ruotolo, made his MMA debut against Blake Cooper of the United States. In the ONE lightweight (77.1 kg) fight, he won by first-round submission. The representative of the Atos gym demonstrated a solid striking base, after which he knocked down Cooper, locked in a triangle and, with the help of a choke, won at 3:20 of the first round. The victory was Ruotolo’s first under MMA rules and earned him his fourth ONE Championship performance bonus of $50,000.

Comment from Anatoly Malykhin:

“I’m happy for him, I’m happy that he’s looking for new challenges, because in grappling, no one can compete with him. I watched his fight with pleasure and supported him. I think he has the power to become a champion. It’s good that he didn’t go straight to work standing up in his first MMA fight. In the first fight you have to win, gain confidence and for that you have to do what you do best. In his place, I would definitely fight, as I did in my first fights, as a basic fighter. Then, as your striking skills improve, you can try the standing position with wrestlers like him.

Watch all ONE tournaments live on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.

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