"This guy talks rubbish" - 'Reug Reug' says there's no chance Anatoly Malykhin can take him down
Like many of the top competitors in the heavyweight division, 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane comes from a dominant grappling background. The Senegalese wrestling specialist is a physical specimen with the technique to back it up which presents a big problem for his opponent.
Due to his ability to dominate the wrestling exchanges, Kane chooses to keep the fight standing so that his foes have to deal with his explosive power.
The same can be said for Anatoly Malykhin, who 'Reug Reug' will face in the main event of ONE 169 with the heavyweight world championship on the line.
Malykhin was once known for his grappling heavy style, but during his time in ONE Championship, he has changed up his approach by drastically improving his striking.
Now, he also uses his grappling to keep the fight standing where he can look to use his speed and power to wear down opponents and stop them.
In a recent interview with Nick Atkin during fight week, the challenger spoke about whether he thinks Anatoly Malykhin has the skill to take him down:
"No, never. No. Come on, man, this guy talks rubbish. He talks no good, you know. But you're going to see something. Inshallah."
Watch the full interview below:
Anatoly Malykhin and 'Reug Reug' might cancel each other out
The grappling backgrounds of Anatoly Malykhin and 'Reug Reug' might end up cancelling each other out on Nov. 8 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
It's often the case in MMA when you get two grapplers that both men are either unable to take advantage of this skillset or they respect each other's ability.
It seems that neither man has that respect for each other's grappling but there's still a strong possibility that we end up seeing a striking match between them in the main event.