Heavyweight Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida took on the surging Senegalese wrestler, Oumar Kane, more commonly known as ‘Reug Reug,’ at ONE Fight Night 13.
Both men are inexperienced strikers but are well-versed in their respective grappling arts, especially Buchecha who is a multiple time ADCC and IBJJF world champion. Buchecha has competed in BJJ with the likes of Gordon Ryan and beaten the likes of Felipe Pena, Leandro Lo, and Gilbert Burns. Despite being one of the best of all time in jiu-jitsu, Buchecha only has a 4-0 record in MMA, all four wins coming in ONE Championship by first-round submission. Meanwhile, Reug Reug is also relatively inexperienced in the sport, holding a 5-1 record as a pro, including going 4-1 in ONE.
Reug Reug opened the fight at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand with a body kick and then landed a right hand which Buchecha did not like. Buchecha went for a takedown but ended up on bottom. The Brazilian tried to execute a sweep but Reug Reug floated over his guard. Almeida then stood back up and Reug Reug tried to put his more experienced striking game to use.
Buchecha got closer on his next takedown but the Senegal native’s whizzer kept him up. Buchecha went to his back again after getting hurt and almost swept Reug Reug again, but again Kane was able to float his hips and stay safe. After an extended scramble, where Buchecha ate serious damage, the BJJ legend went for an inverted triangle and then a heel hook, but landed neither. Reug Reug stood up and Buchecha dove for a single leg. He spent a while trying to get it, like a dog with a bone, before standing back up.
Buchecha looked worse for wear but kept marching forward. After another takedown attempt Buchecha almost got pounded out but struggled back to his feet to survive. The round ended with his face severely battered and both men breathing heavily.
Referee Herb Dean gave Reug Reug a stern warning before round two, for his shorts grabs in the first round. They started that round much slower, both men clearly exhausted. Buchecha marched forward and clinched up. Almeida grabbed the ropes to help him, however, and lost the position when Dean noticed. Now each man had been warned for fouls. Reug Reug was much less active in round two, he ate a few decent chins from Buchecha but then landed a monster uppercut. Right after that Buchecha level changed and finally landed a takedown. He quickly got into mount and rained down blows to the joy of the Lumpinee Stadium crowd. Buchecha lost mount momentarily but regained it quickly.
As Oumar Kane tried to stand up Buchecha went for an armbar, but he fell off the top and lost it. The Senegalese fighter stood over him then, lazily kicking his legs until the referee stood them up. Buchecha shot for another takedown but was sprawled out easily so he pulled guard. Reug Reug was not as active with his ground strikes as before, focusing more on control, likely due to exhaustion. The second round ended with Reug Reug on top.
The final round started with slow-paced striking. After a dull first minute Buchecha shot a takedown and ducked under to take the back of Reug Reug. However Kane was able to just stand up and throw Buchecha off. Buchecha came forward with a right hand, failed a single leg, and pulled guard again. This time it was half-guard, a worse position than he was in before. Reug Reug stayed low and heavy on top, landing a few ground strikes but again mainly focusing on control. Buchecha finally turned to his stomach and Reug Reug landed short hammerfists from the top.
However, Herb Dean saw a foul as Reug Reug grabbed the inside of the glove of Buchecha. That lost him the position. On the feet, Buchecha swung for the fences and hurt Reug Reug before landing a takedown. Reug Reug worked to get up but Buchecha stayed on it. However Herb Dean then saw another foul, a grab of the shorts by Reug Reug, and paused the bout to give him a yellow card. With forty-five seconds left the bout resumed. Buchecha shot in for a takedown but when he faced adversity he fell to his back again, where he got low-kicked until the bell.
When the decision was announced it seemed like a sure thing in favor of Reug Reug, and the judges agreed. The upset was sealed as the Senegalese wrestlers handed Buchecha the first loss of his professional MMA career.
Official Result: Oumar Kane def. Marcus Almeida by unanimous decision
