New heavyweight MMA king Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane says he’s “nowhere near” his full potential following ONE 169 world title triumph
Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane said his stunning world title win in Bangkok was just the first step to his potential greatness in MMA.
Kane stunned the combat sports world when he eked out a shocking split decision victory over Anatoly Malykhin for the ONE heavyweight MMA world title in the main event of the stacked ONE 169 card this past weekend at Lumpinee Stadium.
The victory was monumental for Kane's career, and he believes the world title win was more than enough to silence his critics.
Kane also said that his upset win over Malykhin was just the start of what he believes would be a lengthy reign atop the heavyweight MMA division.
'Reug Reug' wrote on Instagram:
"All I ever wanted is to show the world 🇸🇳 Senegal/African wrestling 🤼 is elite and should be studied. I know they doubted me but time and time again I proved them wrong, I am nowhere near my full potential. Only had MMA training in as many fights as I have had. I would like to thank my team for always believing in me. #Airoumar #andthenew 🥇 🦍.
Kane's world title win made him the fourth ONE heavyweight MMA world champion and the first fighter of Senegalese descent to capture an MMA world title.
Despite the loss, Malykhin still holds two world titles as he reigns as the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world champion.
Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can watch replays of ONE 169 on-demand for free.
Anatoly Malykhin says he's impressed with Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane's toughness
Anatoly Malykhin holds an ungodly 100 percent finish rate in his career with all 14 of his wins ending via either knockout or submission.
That raw power reached its deadliest when 'Sladkiy' began knocking people out in ONE Championship.
Malykhin had no trouble sending Alexandre Machado, Amir Aliakbari, Kirill Grishenko, Arjan Bhullar, and Reinier de Ridder to the shadow realm.
The Russian knockout machine, however, didn't expect that Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane had the fortitude to absorb some of his cleanest shots.
Malykhin said in an interview with ONE Championship:
"There was one left hook that landed nicely, but he took it without much trouble. He’s tough like that. He’s got a solid jaw, and he’s never been knocked down, so he can still handle hard punches well."