“Reug Reug” Oumar Kane promised to be the first athlete to defeat the historic three-division king, Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin, claim the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title, and become Africa’s first ONE World Champion.
The 32-year-old Senegalese colossus ultimately lived up to his words in front of a U.S. primetime audience on Friday, November 8, at ONE 169.
Kane went five hard rounds with the undefeated Russian inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, and he left the ring with a split-decision victory and 26 pounds of gold.
The match got off to a fiery start, as Kane brought “Sladkiy” to the canvas and manhandled the triple champ with his brute strength at the turnbuckle.
Malykhin hung on, but in desperation, he clung onto the ropes twice after the challenger attempted to bring the action to the mat, which earned him a yellow card.
For once, the Russian superstar looked human. He struggled to foil the African warrior, who continued where he had left off in round two.
Kane staggered forward behind wild haymakers, but Malykhin replied with his heavy trademark punches, reminding the challenger that he was still very much in the contest. Nevertheless, the Senegalese behemoth did well despite having his back against the ropes.
Both men bit on their mouthguards and held nothing back when the action resumed in the third stanza. This time, it was Malykhin who pushed “Reug Reug” on shaky ground behind his truck-like fists.
Though “Sladkiy” shifted into gear, Kane’s frame and chin stood the test of time. Moreover, The TRIPL3 MMA representative kept the action tight, even ripping the Russian open with a short hook in the clinch.
“Reug Reug” appeared to have brought things down a notch as the championship rounds kicked off. Meanwhile, the Russian waded into attack, eager to find a solution to crack open his foe’s iron chin.
But just as he did throughout the bout, Kane had Malykhin’s number once more. Against incoming traffic, the Senegalese athlete clipped “Sladkiy” with a counter right in the fifth round and kept himself out of harm’s way until the final bell.
In the end, two of the three judges at ringside awarded “Reug Reug” the victory. With the win, he pushed his record to 7-1 and became the first African to claim 26 pounds of gold in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
During his post-fight interview with color commentator Mitch Chilson in the ring, the newly crowned ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion said he had his eyes on Malykhin’s light heavyweight strap.
Meanwhile, the Russian suffered the first loss of his MMA career and sees his resume dip to 14-1. However, he still holds the ONE Light Heavyweight and Middleweight MMA World Titles.
