“Reug Reug” reigns supreme.
In the ONE 169 main event Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Oumar Kane took one of then-triple champion Anatoly Malykhin’s titles away. Kane (7-1) defeated Malykhin (14-1) by split decision after five rounds of heavyweight fighting.
The bout was largely lackluster, with both men grinding into the ropes. During separations, Malykhin appeared to be the aggressor. He struggled with range a bit, coming up short on many of his punches, but he was still able to crack Kane on several occasions.
Kane never faltered. Conversely, he cracked Malykhin with a hard blow that resulted in a Round 4 knockdown (though it was tough to tell if it was more of a slip).
Ultimately, two of the three judges thought Kane did more and he was declared the winner by split decision. A massive celebration ensued as confetti fell from the ceiling, and referee Herb Dean was nearly taken out by an enthusiastic Kane corner.
In victory, Kane became the first African champion in promotion history. A Senegalese wrestler, Kane turned heads when he pivoted to MMA in 2019 because of his size, physique, and athleticism. As he’s developed, Kane has continued to rack up wins, outside of an April 2021 loss by TKO to Kirill Grishenko.
Malykhin lost one title but still has two others in his trophy case. Entering the bout, he held three divisional titles: middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. Friday’s defeat was his first professional loss.
Full ONE 169 results include:
ONE 169: Best photos from Thailand
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: ONE 169 results: ‘Reug Reug’ dethrones Anatoly Malykhin to become champion
