The Senegalese national hero hosted the famed content creator in Dakar and taught him traditional Senegalese wrestling moves, making Kane a household name in his home country.
The 33-year-old heavyweight champion discussed watching IShowSpeed’s videos while expressing his amazement at the streamer’s muscular physique. Kane revealed that the social media personality picked up wrestling techniques quickly, but explained that the sport requires extensive training to truly master.
IShowSpeed has over 50 million followers on social media and he is among the most recognized streamers and online personalities in the world. The 21-year-old’s visit to Senegal provided an opportunity to learn from Oumar Kane, the 260-pound champion who dethroned former three-division king Anatoly Malykhin in November 2024.
Heavyweight champion Oumar Kane praises the streamer’s appeal to a young audience
Oumar Kane discussed his familiarity with the internet personality and explained his appreciation for IShowSpeed’s comedic content. The Senegalese fighter highlighted the streamer’s appeal to younger demographics.
“I watch his videos. He’s a very funny guy. The new generation likes this kind of content. He’s very young: he’s 21 years old. Everyone likes him, you know what I mean?” said Oumar Kane.
Oumar Kane, who follows a major daily diet, started wrestling at the age of 16 before switching to MMA. His 8-1 record with five finishes is capped by his stunning split-decision victory over Malykhin, which shocked the combat sports world.
‘Reug Reug’ surprises by the muscular physique of IShowSpeed
Oumar Kane revealed his first impression when he met IShowSpeed in person and expressed his sincere surprise at the physical development of the content creator. The heavyweight champion suggested the 21-year-old has the build of an MMA middleweight competitor.
“I was actually very surprised when I first met him because I didn’t expect him to be so big. You can’t tell from videos how muscular he actually is. If Speed was an MMA fighter, he would be a middleweight. He’s a big man,” Kane explains.
The Senegalese champion’s willingness to share his wrestling knowledge with a global internet personality showcases his role as a cultural ambassador. Traditional Senegalese wrestling made Kane famous in his home country before his MMA success brought international recognition.
Senegalese hero says wrestling requires extensive training
Kane was impressed with the streamer’s natural ability, but he tempered expectations on the timeframes to master the streamer. The heavyweight explained that truly learning Senegalese wrestling requires months of dedicated training.
“Yes, Speed was very fast and he picked things up quickly. But Senegalese wrestling is different. It’s not something you can learn quickly. But maybe with six or seven months of training he can really learn it. He’s a quick learner. To be honest, he picked up the crash course pretty quickly,” Kane said.
Oumar Kane was set to defend his crown in a rematch against Malykhin at ONE 173 last November. A serious car accident resulted in the postponement of their highly anticipated heavyweight title fight. A new date for the fight has not yet been announced.
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