Kane and Malykhin would square off again this past November at ONE 173 in Japan, a rematch that fans around the world had circled on their calendars. A car crash in Dubai forced Kane out of the fight and left one of the most anticipated heavyweight rematches in recent history without a date. Now fully recovered, Oumar Kane, the 33-year-old champion, is hungry, healthy and eager to deal with unfinished business.
The first meeting between the two sent shockwaves through the martial arts world. “Reug Reug” handed Malykhin the first defeat of his career via split decision in November 2024, depriving him of the heavyweight gold and shattering the myth of the unbeatable king in three divisions.
Oumar Kane closes pending allegations
Kane wasted no time in addressing Malykhin’s claims head-on. The heavyweight champion made it clear that a man who has already defeated his rival has no reason to feel fear. The tone of ‘Reug Reug’ left little doubt as to where his confidence stands ahead of their eventual rematch.
“I’m running from him. Why should I be afraid of this man, man? This man has no power. I already beat him. I’m not running from you, Malykhin. I fought you for five rounds, why should I run away? The next version of Oumar Kane is coming. The hungry Oumar,” Oumar Kane said.
The Senegal native made his ONE Championship debut in 2021, defeating multiple Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion Alain Ngalani in less than five minutes. From that explosive entrance, ‘Reug Reug’ went on to rack up six impressive wins over top heavyweight MMA fighters before his coronation moment arrived in November 2024, when he defeated the then undefeated Malykhin via split decision to claim the heavyweight gold.
Oumar Kane reveals surprising discovery about Malykhin’s infamous power
One of the most striking revelations in Oumar Kane’s comments concerned his experience absorbing Malykhin’s vaunted left hook. The Russian’s knockout power has long been considered one of the most dangerous in all of ONE Championship, after toppling some of the promotion’s top heavyweights. Kane’s firsthand account challenges that reputation in a striking way.
“Before I fought him the first time, I thought his left hook was very hard and powerful. During our fight I thought to myself, why do they go down when he hits people? I think about this and wonder why it was easy when I took it. I ate this like it was easy,” said Oumar Kane.
‘Reug Reug’, who ate 18 lamb chops in one sitting, laid the foundation for his martial arts career in Senegalese wrestling before switching to MMA. Malykhin, now 38, remains the reigning ONE Light Heavyweight and Middleweight MMA World Champion despite the loss at heavyweight, retaining his status as a two-division king.
Oumar Kane honors Malykhin’s showmanship while looking at the bigger picture
Despite all the verbal sparring between the two camps, “Reug Reug” has also taken a step back to acknowledge what the rivalry means for the sport as a whole. Rather than dismiss Malykhin entirely, the champion framed their dynamic as exactly the kind of theater martial arts fans deserve.
“Anatoly is a great opponent. He sells the fight. He does everything. When I wind him up, he answers. That’s what we need. It’s good to have good fighters. It’s great to have great fighters. But we have to entertain the fans. We’re here to entertain the fans,” Kane said.
Kane’s overall ONE record stands at seven wins and one loss, a body of work built almost entirely against top-tier heavyweight competition since his debut in 2021.
#Oumar #Kane #opens #exciting #rematch