"I am a man" - 'Reug Reug' on taking short-notice kickboxing fight before huge match with Anatoly Malykhin at ONE 169

ONE heavyweight MMA star Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane shockingly accepted a short-notice kickboxing bout with Boucher Ketchup at ONE Fight Night 23 this past July despite being set to challenge three-division MMA king Anatoly Malykhin for the ONE heavyweight MMA world championship before the year ends.

Speaking with the world's largest martial arts promotion, the physically imposing Kane explained why he took the fight:

"I knew that I was going to fight Anatoly, but I was properly conditioned, I am a man, and I work hard with my team. So I chose to accept the fight because the fight with Anatoly was still too far away. He already fought, while I was just waiting in the wings. That's not good for me. So I decided to fight at least once before I fought Anatoly."

This was ultimately a wise decision for Kane as he showcased how much his striking has improved since signing with ONE in 2021 by dominating Ketchup in just over two minutes.

Kane's next bout will be his clash with Malykhin over the 265-pound MMA crown at ONE 169 on Friday, Nov. 8, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

---

'Reug Reug' hopes to make his family proud at ONE 169

Oumar Kane recently confirmed in an interview with ONE that his uncle, who took care of him since losing his father, and his other family members will be in attendance at ONE 169.

The 32-year-old said:

"He is coming to my next fight. My family is going to come to watch me fight and everything. I come from a family of wrestlers. My father, my grandfather, everyone wrestled. Even my big brother. It runs in the blood."

ONE 169 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.