Senegalese wrestling superstar-turned-MMA fighter Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane claimed the biggest win of his combat sports career as he edged defending three-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin over five rounds to capture the undisputed ONE heavyweight title in Bangkok, Thailand.
Kane and Malykhin headlined ONE 169, which took place at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in the Thai capital, and after five hard-fought rounds, it was “Reug Reug” who did just enough to earn the nod from two of the three ringside judges as he captured the promotion’s heavyweight world title.
Kane started well, using his wrestling and size advantage to open up an early lead as he looked to sap the gas tank of the Russian world champion. But Malykhin found his second wind in the middle rounds, and came storming back in the third and fourth rounds, connecting with big punches on the Senegalese challenger. Remarkably, “Reug Reug” was able to take the best of Malykhin’s power shots as he hung tough in the striking exchanges.
Then, in a moment that may have proved crucial in the final reckoning, Kane dropped Malykhin with a big left hand in the final round as the pair both pushed hard in search of the finish. Ultimately, neither man quite had enough to get the job done inside the distance and the fight went to the judges’ scorecards.
And, with ONE Championship’s MMA scoring system requiring judges to judge fights as a whole, rather than scoring rounds, the scorers returned a split-decision verdict, with Kane claiming the victory by the slimmest of margins to become ONE’s first-ever African world champion.
In the co-main event, former flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon claimed a unanimous decision victory over England’s Jacob Smith. The victory was a bittersweet one for the Thai star after he lost his Muay Thai world title on the scale during Thursday’s official weigh-ins.
It meant that only Smith was eligible to leave Lumpinee as champion, but Rodtang ensured that didn’t happen as he earned the unanimous decision victory to ensure the title remained vacant following his weigh-in slip-up.
Also on the card, Jackie Buntan defeated Anissa Meksen by unanimous decision to capture the women’s strawweight kickboxing title, and former ONE flyweight MMA world champion Adriano Moraes claimed a second-round submission victory over former title challenger Danny Kingad.
Submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo continued his successful transition into MMA with a first-round submission victory over Ahmed Mujtaba, and former Muay Thai world champ Sam-A Gaiyanghadao claimed a decision victory over Zhang Peimian in their strawweight kickboxing bout.
ONE 169: Official results
- Oumar Kane def. Anatoly Malykhin via split decision – for ONE heavyweight MMA world title
- Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Jacob Smith via unanimous decision – 135.5-pound catchweight Muay Thai
- Jackie Buntan def. Anissa Meksen via unanimous decision – for ONE women’s strawweight kickboxing world title
- Adriano Moraes def. Danny Kingad via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:14 – flyweight
- Kongthoranee Sor Sommai def. Tagir Khalilov via unanimous decision – 139.25-pound catchweight Muay Thai
- Kade Ruotolo def. Ahmed Mujtaba via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 1:04 – lightweight
- Sam-A Gaiyanghadao def. Zhang Peimian via unanimous decision – strawweight kickboxing
- Marcus Almeida def. Amir Aliakbari via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:15 – heavyweight
- Mohamed Younes Rabah def. Eddie Abasolo via unanimous decision – featherweight Muay Thai
- Ayaka Miura def. Macarena Aragon via submission (scarf-hold Americana) – Round 1, 2:20 – atomweight
- Aliff Sor Dechapan def. Walter Goncalves via unanimous decision – strawweight Muay Thai
