A car accident delayed it. A war of words followed. Now, six months later than originally planned, Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane finally gets to prove he is the real deal.
Kane puts the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title on the line for the first time against former three-division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin in the main event of The Inner Circle, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, May 15. The 33-year-old Senegalese champion holds a 7-1 MMA record and five consecutive wins heading into this rematch. The pair first met at ONE 169 in November 2024, where Kane ended Malykhin’s undefeated run with a split decision win to become the first African-born ONE World Champion and hand the Russian the first loss of his career.
Their originally scheduled ONE 173 rematch fell apart when Kane was involved in a car accident weeks before fight night. Malykhin publicly questioned his rival’s commitment. Kane dismissed it and kept training. Now the fight is here, and Kane has spent the extra months making himself a harder problem to solve.
“I’ve changed everything, made upgrades in every skill set. The new Oumar is coming. You can expect me to be stronger, more powerful — and faster. At the same time, I think Anatoly is going to be better also. I expect him to be a lot better compared to our first fight. It would be wrong to underestimate him,” he said.
“I know him inside and out now. It’s going to be an easy fight for me. I know who Anatoly is after fighting him in the ring. I know his movement — I know everything.”
Oumar Kane has noticed Malykhin go quiet
Oumar Kane is not just preparing to win. He is preparing to settle the argument in a way that leaves no room for dispute.
Malykhin arrives as the reigning ONE Middleweight and ONE Light Heavyweight MMA World Champion with a 14-1 professional record. The sole loss belongs to Kane. The Russian has said little in the buildup, and Kane has a read on exactly why that is.
“He’s quiet now because he knows I’m the better fighter. He’s not talking now because he’s scared. That’s the honest truth,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good fighter. But after facing him, now I know we’re not on the same level. There’s a big difference. Heading into this fight, I know that Anatoly and I are not on the same level. But still, I give him the respect he deserves. No doubt, he’s a good fighter. But he still can’t beat me. He will never beat me.”