Thousands Welcome Newly Crowned MMA World Champion Reug Reug To Senegal In Epic Homecoming

On November 8, in the main event of ONE 169, the 32-year-old superstar earned a hard-fought, five-round decision over Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin to claim the heavyweight MMA crown and hand the Russian the first defeat of his career.

With the victory, “Reug Reug” solidified himself as one of MMA’s most dangerous men and etched his name in the history books as Africa’s first ONE World Champion.

Just days after his big win in Bangkok, Thailand, Kane made his way back to Senegal, where he was greeted by tens of thousands of fans dying to get a glimpse of the hulking heavyweight and celebrate his monumental accomplishment.

Throngs of Senegalese fans, press, a band and dancers, as well as Ministry of Sports representative Mr. Cheikh Fall were present at Blaise Diagne International Airport to welcome “Reug Reug,” but that was only the beginning of his epic homecoming.

The party continued into the streets of Dakar, with thousands more fans chanting and cheering as he made his way through the city, creating a truly unforgettable scene.

A massive celebratory event followed as several of Senegal’s most prominent figures expressed their gratitude for “Reug Reug” and his accomplishments.

For his part, the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion spoke about how thankful he is for the unending support of his country and just how special his victory at ONE 169 was:

“I am very happy for all the Senegalese people. It is a victory for Senegal. I am very happy for my team. I can’t thank them enough for their support.

“It is a victory for Senegal. I went to fight for Senegal. It was not easy, but God gave us the victory. We are very grateful to God.”

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