Capping off the night at ONE 169 in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday was a heavyweight title fight with two of ONE Championship’s biggest names, both figuratively and literally.
The hulking Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane had become a fan favorite upon entering the promotion, with the Senegalese wrestler amassing a 5-1 record in the company after making the switch from ARES FC. He was looking to dethrone MMA’s first triple-champ, Anatoly Malykhin, who held ONE’s middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight titles.
The fight wasn’t what you would call an action-packed affair, often drawing jeers from a crowd that was no doubt hoping from a big finish from the two big men. Instead, a grueling, grappling-heavy contest played out, a close fight that saw the ref intervene on multiple occasions, both for fouls and lack of action.
The massive Reug Reug got his wrestling going early, taking the takedown route and forcing Malykhin to work his way back up after blasting his way into an entry. Controlling from the back, Kane stayed heavy on Malykhin, who used the ropes to keep himself standing – earning a stern warning from referee Herb Dean, who threatened to issue a yellow card were the infraction to repeat itself.
Off the restart, it was Kane again pursuing a takedown, heavy on the champ but unable to land it. The crowd didn’t love it, and Dean urged the pair to work; again, Malykhin used the ropes to stay upright. True to his word, Dean issued a yellow card, then restarted the action with Kane in control.
Malykhin attempted to flip the script in round two, with the champ putting Reug Reug’s back on the ropes. Kane circled out, fired a right and clinched up. The ref then halted the action, warning Kane for grabbing his opponent’s gloves; an irate Anatoly Malykhin opted to restart the fight at center rather than take his position back. Through two rounds, ref Herb Dean was as much of a factor as either man actually in the fight, allowing absolutely nothing to slide. They would end up back on the ropes anyway, Malykhin pursuing a takedown he couldn’t land, with the ref restarting the action at center with under a minute left in the round. The remaining seconds of the fight saw Malykhin get his hands, and kicks, going.
Round three saw a firefight break out in the opening minute, with Malykhin landing more than once, and Kane proving to have an admirable chin. But again, the ref was forced to intervene when Reug Reug held the gloves of the champ. On the restart, Malykhin ripped the body and fired overhands up top. Kane answered back, firing his left but the champ was having more success, landing more, with more power, and cleaner. More exchanges in the corner would follow, with Malykhin sporting a cut, even while continuing the have the edge in standup. Herb Dean would break up a clinch late in the round, after which, for the first time in his career, Reug Reug would enter the championship rounds.
The glove grabbing warnings for Kane continued in round four, though ref Dean opted to restart the pair when the action slowed, rather than going the yellow card route. Malykhin, meanwhile, drove in on a takedown, putting Kane’s back on the fence. That position would be taken away by the ref, who didn’t like the work, or lack thereof, that he was seeing. If anything, Kane had slowed, and in the final minute, the champ connected would a couple of right hands that had Reug Reug retreating, head snapping back. Oumar Kane would land a left hand, and a few kicks, before heading to round five.
Reug Reug landed a left hand early in round five, appearing to hurt Malykhin, though he may have been off balance. The champ then had to fight off a takedown attempt, which he did. Still, the momentum appeared to have shifted in the challenger’s favor. Yet again, as Reug Reug pursued a takedown, ref Dean didn’t like what he was seeing, taking the pair back to center – where Malykhin had the edge. He punched his way in, then drove Kane back against the ring post.
In the end, the pair went the distance, in a fight that had sporadic bursts of action, and a whole lot of positional battles. Come the judges’ scorecards, a split decision was announced – with Reug Reug getting the nod from two of three judges. That gives Oumar Kane his first major championship in MMA, with his record improving to 7-1 in the process. He also becomes the first African champ in ONE Championship history.
Official Result: Oumar Kane def. Anatoly Malykhin by split decision
