“I knew I was going to beat him” - Underdog ‘Reug Reug’ had zero doubt he would dethrone the great Anatoly Malykhin

In the build-up to ONE 169 last weekend, 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane heard all the chatter about him having zero chance against multi-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin.

After all, he was facing an undefeated juggernaut with a ridiculous 100 percent finishing rate in 14 career fights.

Needless to say, 'Reug Reug' shocked the world when he achieved what was once deemed an improbable feat.

The Senegalese giant silenced his doubters after notching a career-defining split decision victory over Malykhin in a hard-fought five-round battle of attrition.

By doing so, 'Reug Reug' not only handed the Russian his first professional loss but also took away his heavyweight MMA crown in the process.

Addressing the media during the ONE 169 post-event press conference, the new king of the heavyweight MMA division said he kept believing in himself when no one else did.

"People who are saying that actually, they don't really know me. I trained six months really hard for this, and I knew that I was going to beat him."

Watch the full ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug post-event presser here:

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'Reug Reug' walked the talk at ONE 169

Apart from fans and pundits alike discrediting his chances against Anatoly Malykhin, 'Reug Reug' also dealt with some venomous trash talk from 'Sladkiy' heading into the biggest fight of his career.

The Black Panther Sports affiliate, however, never backed down an inch and proved that he wouldn't be punked as soon as the bell rang.

'Reug Reug' was also the first fighter to successfully complete a takedown against Malykhin and even managed to weather the Russian's feared knockout power for the full 25 minutes.

The full replay of ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.