Deep Dive: How Reug Reug Earned His Heavyweight MMA World Title Shot At Anatoly Malykhin
Senegalese Wrestling Champion “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane has seemed destined for World Title glory since he began his professional MMA career, and he’ll get his shot at gold in the main event of ONE 169.
On November 8 in U.S. primetime, the 32-year-old dynamo will challenge undefeated three-division king Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin for the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title.
A prodigiously gifted athlete who honed his wrestling and combat chops over years of competing in Senegal’s ultra-tough professional wrestling circuit, Kane has built a case to square off with Malykhin at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ahead of ONE 169, we look back at the rising star’s exciting six-fight run through ONE’s talent-packed heavyweight MMA division.
A Highlight-Reel Debut Against Ngalani
“Reug Reug” made his hotly anticipated promotional debut in January 2021 at ONE: UNBREAKABLE II where he squared off with decorated kickboxing and Muay Thai star Alain “The Panther” Ngalani.
Already a viral sensation known for his massive frame and terrifying power, Kane quickly lived up to the hype against the hard-hitting veteran.
After a relatively slow-paced opening few minutes, “Reug Reug” pressed his foe against the Circle Wall, secured a clean takedown, and hammered away with thudding ground strikes until the referee halted the contest at 4:32 of the first frame.
With that dominant showing, the young sensation officially arrived on the global stage and announced himself as a player in the heavyweight MMA division.
Demolishes Schmid In Under Two Minutes
“Reug Reug” returned to action just three months later and again found himself toe-to-toe with an accomplished striker as he took on Patrick “Big Swiss” Schmid.
This time, Kane showed little fear in engaging on the feet, swarming his rival with a volley of wild punches in the opening moments. That early blitz overwhelmed the Swiss athlete and led to a quick takedown.
From the top position, Kane showcased his ruthless finishing instincts as he rained down blows on a defenseless Schmid to score the TKO finish in just under two minutes of action.
Stumbles Against Grishenko
After just three weeks on the sidelines, “Reug Reug” made a quick turnaround to face talented Belarusian wrestler Kirill Grishenko at ONE on TNT IV. The short rest period proved to be his downfall, as he suffered his only career MMA loss.
Both athletes spent much of the first round punishing each other with knee strikes and body shots in the clinch, with neither man able to score any significant offense. That grueling clinch battle continued in the second frame, with Kane finally meeting a man who possessed the size and grappling chops to slow down his otherwise unstoppable takedowns.
In the final moment of the second round, Grishenko landed a right hand on “Reug Reug,” sending him crashing to the canvas and unable to continue.
That defeat was undoubtedly a hard pill to swallow for the African star, but since then, he has shown nothing but marked improvements each time he’s stepped into the Circle.
Dominates And Finishes Gazzaev
Following that loss, Kane went back to the drawing board to upgrade his conditioning, striking, and overall MMA game. Those developments were all on full display when he took on Russian destroyer Batradz “Cannibal” Gazzaev in September 2022 at ONE 161.
“Reug Reug” expertly defended an early takedown attempt from Gazzaev before spinning his foe against the Circle Wall, where he unloaded a thunderous punching combination, setting the tone for the rest of the fight.
The Senegalese wrestler kept his foot on the gas pedal for the remainder of the first frame and into the second, when he scored a critical takedown of his own. In a beautiful display of grappling prowess and show-stopping power, Kane moved to the mount position and fired away with massive hammerfists to secure the TKO victory.
Clearly, “Reug Reug” had put in the work needed to hang with the planet’s most dangerous mixed martial artists – and his performance against Gazzaev marked the most impressive outing of his career to that point.
Cruises To Victory Against Mirzamukhamedov
In December 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 5, Kane battled undefeated behemoth Jasur “White Tiger” Mirzamukhamedov in what looked to be his stiffest test yet.
But over the course of three gritty rounds, “Reug Reug” rag-dolled the Uzbek fighter, securing takedowns with relative ease before employing a mixture of suffocating top control and savage ground strikes.
While Mirzamukhamedov did just enough to stave off the finish, it was one-way traffic in favor of the Senegalese phenom en route to a lopsided decision win.
Notably, Kane also erased any doubts that he could fight at a high pace for 15 full minutes if needed.
Goes To War With Buchecha
In his most recent MMA bout, “Reug Reug” squared off with decorated submission ace Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida in August 2023 at ONE Fight Night 13.
That fight would prove to be one of the most electrifying, back-and-forth wars in recent memory and would earn Kane a coveted crack at the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title.
“Reug Reug” displayed cat-like balance and truly elite ground skills throughout the showdown, as he was able to not only defend sweeps and submission attempts from the 17-time BJJ World Champion – but also claim dominant positions and land brutal ground strikes.
And whenever the fight was on the feet, he happily brawled at a torrid pace with “Buchecha,” proving he had evolved from a powerhouse wrestler into a well-rounded and well-conditioned mixed martial artist.
In the end, it was Kane’s excellent wrestling, scrambling ability, and damage inflicted that earned him the judges’ nod in this epic showdown.
More importantly, that victory sent a message to reigning heavyweight MMA kingpin Anatoly Malykhin: “Reug Reug” is a serious threat to take his gold.
