‘Reug Reug’ says ‘Buchecha’ victory was key to his world title dreams: “I couldn’t lose to that guy”

Senegalese wrestling champion and ONE world title challenger Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane booked his ticket to a heavyweight MMA world title shot via an impressive win over Brazilian jiu-jitsu icon Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida last year.

Kane believes it was the most important win of his career so far. 'Reug Reug' took home a three-round unanimous decision victory over 'Buchecha' at ONE Fight Night 13 in Aug. 2023, in a fight many felt he could not win.

Kane proved the world wrong that night and delivered one of his most complete performances to date. Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Kane talked about his win over Almeida, and what it felt like going into that contest.

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The 971 MMA / Black Panther Sports representative stated:

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"I felt good. I was very happy. I knew in myself that I was going to beat that guy, 100 percent. The people don’t know me, but they know Buchecha. Not a lot of people know me, but if I beat that guy, everybody will know my name. So I knew in myself that I couldn’t lose to that guy. So yeah, when I got that contract, I was very happy because I knew I was going to win."

Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane to face Anatoly Malykhin for heavyweight MMA gold at ONE 169 on Prime Video

Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane will face Anatoly Malykhin for the ONE heavyweight MMA world title in the main event of ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video, which broadcasts live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, Nov. 8.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event during fight week.

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