Senegal’s ‘Reug Reug’ beats Malykhin, wins MMA heavyweight title

On Friday night at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Reug Reug — real name Oumar Kane — claimed the ONE heavyweight title with a narrow split decision win Anatoly Malykhin in the main event of ONE Championship 169.

A former Senegalese wrestler, Reug’s size proved to be difficult for the three-division ONE champion to deal with as he scored a quick takedown early in the fight.

Malykhin worked his way back up to the feet but the two remained grappling against the ropes and Malykhin received a yellow card for repeatedly reaching through the ropes.

As the fight progressed, Malykhin began to land big shots on the feet but simply couldn’t crack the chin of his massive opponent, and was himself dropped in the final round of the bout.

Still, the bout seemed to favor Malykhin for sheer activity however, two of the judges scored the fight for Reug Reug, delivering Malykhin his first career loss.

In the co-main event, Rodtang Jitmuangnon scored a unanimous decision win over Jacob Smith.

This was supposed to be a title defense of Rodtang’s ONE flyweight Muay Thai title, however he failed to make weight and was thus stripped of the title.

Nevertheless, Rodtang delivered a vintage performance, outclassing Smith and slicing him open with a nasty elbow over the eye.

In a featured bout of the evening, Jackie Buntan defeated Anissa Meksen to claim the inaugural ONE women’s flyweight kickboxing title.

The two women battled back-and-forth for the full 15 minutes but ultimately the judges favored Buntan’s more decisive moments.

In one of the featured fights of the evening, Adriano Moraes got back in the win column with a second-round guillotine finish over Danny Kingad.

It was the former flyweight champion’s first fight since losing his trilogy matchup with Demetrious Johnson, and may set him up to fight for the vacant title next.

Also of note on the card, Kade Ruotolo scored the second win of his MMA career with a first-round submission after dropping opponent Ahmed Mujtba early, and multiple-time world champion BJJ competitor Carlos Buchecha submitted Amir Aliakbari in the first round as well.

About Reug Reug

Omar Kane, famously known as Reug Reug, is a Senegalese professional mixed martial artist and wrestler.

Born on September 13, 1987, in Dakar, Senegal, Reug began his combat sports journey as a wrestler, earning recognition in the African wrestling scene.

His impressive physique and dominating presence in the ring eventually led him to transition to mixed martial arts.

Reug Reug gained international attention for his formidable size, strength, and fighting skills.

Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing around 250 pounds, he is a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division.

With a background in traditional Senegalese wrestling, Reug Reug boasts an exceptional grappling game, complemented by devastating striking abilities.

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