Reinier De Ridder Stakes Light Heavyweight Crown Against Anatoly Malykhin In ONE On Prime Video 5 Headliner

ONE Championship's fifth feature presentation on Amazon Prime Video has garnered another high-profile encounter that pits two undefeated world champions against each other.

Two-division ONE titleholder Reinier de Ridder is tasked to put his intricately-crafted light heavyweight belt on the line against interim heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 5.

Both men were supposed to figure in separate world title campaigns earlier this year, but unforeseen circumstances forced the postponement of their respective assignments.

De Ridder (16-0) was originally booked to lock horns with Russian promotional newcomer Shamil Abdulaev with his middleweight strap at stake in the headliner of ONE on Prime Video 3 last October, but unfortunately, his opponent was not medically cleared to compete.

Meanwhile, Malykhin (11-0) nearly got his wish of sharing the cage with lineal heavyweight kingpin Arjan Bhullar in a much-awaited world title unification at ONE 161 this past September before the latter had to withdraw from the match due to an undisclosed injury.

The light heavyweight clash definitely showcases the classic power struggle between a lethal striker and an elite grappler.

Malykhin carries a 100% finishing rate, with the majority of his 11 career victories coming by way of knockout.

The Russian power-puncher has an ongoing knockout streak in ONE Championship, thwarting the likes of Alexandre Machado, Amir Aliakbari and Kirill Grishenko within two rounds.

The stoppage of Grishenko in February of this year provided Malykhin with a career-defining moment as he won the interim ONE heavyweight belt.

On the other hand, de Ridder bolstered his curriculum vitae by taking the middleweight and light heavyweight titles off Aung La N Sang in two separate outings.

"The Dutch Knight" has never looked back since then, extending his reign of dominance at the expense of top-tier opposition such as Kiamrian Abbasov and former champion Vitaly Bigdash.

A decisive win at ONE on Prime Video 5 could set things in motion for the future of the two fighters as they gun to add more gold to their championship collection.

Aside from the de Ridder vs. Malykhin showdown, two more world title duels are set to be part of the aforementioned live event, which takes place at the 20,000-capacity SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines on the morning of December 3 (December 2 in the United States).

Chingiz Allazov finally gets his opportunity to challenge Superbon Singha Mawynn for his ONE featherweight kickboxing title.

At the same time, the organization will crown its one true queen to lord over the growing women's atomweight Muay Thai division as Allycia Hellen Rodrigues and Janet Todd are set to square off against each other in a world championship unification contest.