‘Reug Reug’ happy with his performance at ONE Fight Night 23: “Everybody was watching this fight”
Senegalese heavyweight fighter 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane was happy with the performance he had in his kickboxing debut last week in Thailand, more so because it was watched by many people back home.
The Thiaroye sur Mer native collided with Boucher Ketchup in an all-Senegalese heavyweight kickboxing clash at ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov on Prime Video on July 5 in Bangkok's famed Lumpinee Stadium. He came away victorious with a first-round KO win.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post following his victory, 'Reug Reug' shared his thoughts on his latest victory, including how different it was from his previous victories in ONE Championship.
The 32-year-old fighter said:
"Today, it was very, very good. I am very, very happy to fight this guy, you know. He has a big name in Senegal, everybody knows this guy, you know. It's good. Everybody was watching this fight in Senegal and it's a good fight."
Watch the full interview below:
At ONE Fight Night 23, Ketchup came out aggressive and took the fight to 'Reug Reug', only to find himself met with crisp strikes.
It all came to an end at the 2:08 mark of the opening round when the 971 MMA/Black Panther Sports affiliate landed a solid left that dropped Ketchup to the canvas and ruled unable to continue after.
The win was the sixth in seven matches for 'Reug Reug' in ONE Championship, and his fourth straight.
'Reug Reug' now focuses on MMA title bid at ONE 169
After successfully passing his first kickboxing test, 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane is now focusing on his bid for the ONE heavyweight MMA world title, which will take place in the United States in November.
The Senegalese fighter will battle heavyweight MMA king Anatoly Malykhin at ONE 169 in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. on Nov. 8, It is one of the already-confirmed fights for the event, which is the second live on-ground show of the promotion in the U.S. this year, after ONE 168 set to happen in Denver, Colorado, in September.
The title bid is a long-sought goal of Kane, who has been a force to reckon with in the heavyweight division since making his ONE Championship debut in January 2021.
Meanwhile, Malykhin, who is also the middleweight and light heavyweight world champion, will be making his first defense of the heavyweight MMA gold after unifying the championship belts in the division with a TKO win over erstwhile titleholder Arjan Bhullar in June last year.
ONE 169: Atlanta will be available to North American fans through Amazon Prime Video.