UFC contender Khalil Rountree was ‘about to cry’ after sparring ONE Championship star
Anatoly Malykhin recounts sparring session with Khalil Rountree.

Anatoly Malykhin reveals sparring session with Khalil Rountree (Image via: IMAGO, Instagram)
The UFC’s light heavyweight division has Alex Pereira at the top. In his previous three fights, he has defeated three former champions in the division. Magomed Ankalaev is likely next for the Brazilian champion. Khalil Rountree is a fighter who could fight the winner of a potential Pereira vs. Ankalaev fight. Anatoly Malykhin, the One Championship star, had already labeled Ankalaev as the best light heavyweight in the UFC.
Malykhin made a lot of demeaning statements in his recent interview with Red Corner MMA, mainly dismissive of UFC fighters. As such, Khalil Rountree was subject to criticism from Malykhin, the three-division champion at One FC. The duo sparred when they were in Thailand to improve their striking skills, and Malykhin revealed the story during the interview.
So I enter the Tiger Gym and see a Black guy [Khalil Rountree]. He has nobody to spar with because he already beat up a few guys. So, I am there warming up...So the sparring starts, two minutes in, we're in a clinch, then we break up and I catch him with a punch. I broke his nose. He was bleeding. Let me tell you something. He just flipped out, took his gloves off, he was about to cry.Anatoly Malykhin via Red Corner MMA

Interestingly, it was after this incident that John Hutchinson became Malykhin’s head coach. All the other coaches at Tiger Muay Thai criticized Malykhin for the powerful blow to Rountree. However, Hutchinson felt impressed by how Malykhin, a wrestler, sparred with a good striker.
As for Rountree, he improved significantly from his training in Thailand and is on a five-fight winning streak in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. His upcoming UFC fight is against Jamahal Hill, an ex-champion, at UFC 303. A victory over Hill would certainly put him in contention for a title.
One Championship star reveals sparring session with Tai Tuivasa
Tai Tuivasa is now on a 4-fight losing skid. However, before that, he was on a five-fight winning streak and on the cusp of a title shot. During his winning streak, Tuivasa became a popular fighter in the UFC due to his post-fight celebration.

Anataloy Malykhin sparred with Tuivasa during that time. Malykhin has dismissed every fighter in the UFC’s heavyweight division except Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, and Sergei Pavlovich. There is a reason for it, as he had sparred with Tuivasa.
When we sparred, he [Tai Tuivasa] was a little kid to me. I lifted him up. I did whatever I wanted to him.Anatoly Malykhin via Red Corner MMA
At the time, Tuivasa was in the top 5 of the rankings. Malykhin later found out that Tuivasa was a big star in the UFC. In addition to Tuivasa, Malykhin criticized Ciryl Gane, especially his performance against Jon Jones.
In case you missed it!
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