Oumar Kane was far from favorite against Anatoliy Malykhin on Saturday, November 9, in the ONE Championship heavyweight title fight in Bangkok. A real feat as the opponent was tough, and with a historic dimension since Reug Reug thus became the first Senegalese champion of a major MMA organization.
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The proverb says that only mountains do not cross. However, at the Lumpinee stadium in Bangkok, Saturday November 9, Senegalese Oumar Kane and the Russian Anatoliy Malykhin put on the mitts to compete for five five-minute rounds. Twenty-five minutes of physical duel at the end of which Reug Reug emerged victorious by split decision, in favor of two judges out of three, thus winning the heavyweight champion belt of the ONE Championship, the premier organization in Asia. The kind of very close fight, at the end of which the choice of judges could have leaned one way or the other.
Still, Kane is now the first Senegalese in history to win a championship title in a major world MMA organization. A resounding feat which even pushed the Senegalese president to congratulate his champion on Through his courage, his determination and his talent, he honors Senegal and inspires an entire generation. Our nation is proud of this remarkable feat », rejoiced Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
An indecisive fight until the end
The victory is all the more prestigious as Anatoliy Malykhin had never lost a single fight in his career. He even won them all before the limit, by knockout or submission, thus winning the championship belts of three different weight categories at ONE. The obstacle was immense and Reug Reug overcame it, despite a duel that was ultimately a bit boring.
In the first round, the Dakar native brought his wrestling background to bear to manhandle his opponent, take him to the ground then make him submit to his force against the ropes of the ring. So much so that the Russian was tempted several times to hang on to avoid falling, to the point of being punished with a yellow card which surely weighed in the balance for the final decision of the judges.
The rounds followed one another and were similar. Malykhin, the forward step constantly engaged, rained his fists on the face of Kane, who responded on the counter, without ever flinching under the power of the blows. Sequences interspersed with long minutes of struggle, without one or the other managing to take their opponent to the ground. And this, until the start of the fifth and final round.
On yet another counter, Reug Reug very briefly sent the Russian to the mat with a quick back arm. The action lasted only a moment, or even an instant, but was obviously enough to definitively award victory. Not the kind of performance that will stay etched in the memory of fans, but which will certainly propel the career of Kane, 32 years old and now at the top of the ONE Championship.