‘He Sees What I’m Doing And Copies It’ – Anatoly Malykhin Speaks On Raising His Martial Arts-Loving Son

Although he’s preparing for the next opportunity to showcase his skills on the global stage, reigning two-division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin has another priority in his life – one that’s more important than his professional fighting career.

During his time away from the Circle and ring, the Russian superstar has been focusing on family time, especially with his 4-year-old son, Leo.

The youngster has been showing a growing interest in martial arts, and Malykhin has been sharing glimpses of his son’s early training sessions on social media.

“Sladkiy” recently spoke to onefc.com about fatherhood and what it’s been like to watch Leo grow up:

“My son takes after his father. No matter what you say to a kid, he’ll always watch what you do. Words don’t mean much if your actions say something else. He sees what I’m doing and copies it.”

Well aware that his son will follow his lead and look to emulate him in many aspects of life, Malykhin is doing his absolute best to set a strong example.

That’s why he beams with pride when discussing Leo’s early skills. Like his father, the boy already shows natural determination and athleticism:

“Of course, it feels good to see him getting into martial arts. He’s very strong for his age, very smart. I’m curious to see what he’ll achieve in life.”

Perhaps surprisingly, Malykhin has no interest in pushing his son into fighting. Quite the opposite – the 37-year-old brawler is maintaining a relaxed approach with respect to fatherhood.

He believes that his job as a parent is to allow his son to find his own passions while offering unconditional love, stable support, and guidance along the way:

“Right now, he loves his training, and if he enjoys something, I support him. He’s only 4, but I still listen to him. And if one day he tells me he doesn’t like it, I won’t force him. He’ll find his own way.”

Malykhin: ‘Hard Times Build Character’

Anatoly Malykhin has achieved tremendous success in ONE Championship, turning himself into a global megastar by becoming the first-ever three-division MMA World Champion before his recent heavyweight defeat to “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane.

He remains the ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight MMA World Champion, but despite this monumental success, the Russian doesn’t plan to make things too easy for his son:

“I don’t plan on giving him anything for free – no big gifts, no cars, no apartments. I want him to earn everything on his own.

“That’s what I believe makes a man strong. When he walks his own path and can later look back and be proud of what he went through to get there. Hard times build character.”

Malykhin, who remains steadfast in his quest to reclaim the heavyweight MMA gold, is thinking well beyond his own fighting career.

He’s intrigued by what the future holds for young Leo and hopes to be there by his side at every turn:

“I’m genuinely curious who he’ll become and how his life will turn out. Since I plan to live to 100, I think I’ll get to see it all.”

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