“A super fun fight” - Jarred Brooks expects Anatoly Malykhin and Reug Reug to go full throttle at ONE 169: Atlanta
Jarred Brooks expects Anatoly Malykhin and Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane to deliver the goods in Atlanta.
ONE Championship is set to return to the United States twice within the next few months. The first will be on Friday, September 6, when the promotion heads back to Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, for ONE 168. Two months later, ONE will make its debut in Atlanta, Georgia, for ONE 169 on November 8.
In the main event of the evening, three-division king Anatoly Malykhin will defend his ONE heavyweight MMA world championship against Senegalese wrestling sensation Oumar Kane, better known by fight fans as 'Reug Reug.'
Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA following his big interim ONE strawweight MMA world title victory over Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24, Jarred Brooks shared his thoughts on the heavyweight clash between Malykhin and Kane, saying:
"Anatoly Malykhin speaks with his fists, you know. And ‘Reug Reug’ he’s getting better, better, and better in his stand-up, his boxing or kickboxing skills. So, it’s a super fun fight."
'Reug Reug' will look to take Anatoly Malykhin's 'O' at ONE 169: Atlanta
It will be Anatoly Malykyin's first time defending the undisputed heavyweight titleholder since claiming the crown against former champion Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 last year.
Since then, Malykhin—who had already taken home the light heavyweight title in 2022—earned a third-round knockout against Reinier de Ridder to take the Dutchman's middleweight strap, making him the first simultaneous three-division champion in MMA history.
Malykhin goes into his first heavyweight defense with an unbeaten record of 14-0. Of course, that doesn't mean much to 'Reug Reug' who just got done taking another heavyweight superstar's 'O' inside the Circle.
ONE Fight Night 13 saw Oumar Kane hand Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida his first career loss, earning a unanimous decision victory over the 17-time BJJ world champion. Can 'Reug Reug' deliver a repeat performance on martial arts' biggest global stage, or will Malykhin continue his dominant run in ONE?
Follow this link for tickets for ONE 169: Atlanta on November 8 at State Farm Arena.