Reug Reug reveals plan was to avoid ‘jumping in’ Buchecha’s ‘dangerous’ guard

‘Reug Reug’ Oumar Kane wanted to avoid Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida’s guard game at all costs during their pivotal heavyweight MMA clash at last week’s ONE Fight Night 13 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Sharing his game plan in an interview with South China Morning Post after his win, the 31-year-old admitted that he disliked the idea of hunting for dominant positions on the canvas against an athlete of the 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion’s pedigree.

The Thiaroye sur Mer native said:

“Jumping in his guard would be very, very dangerous. Because we know everybody knows his jiu-jitsu pedigree.”

Watch the interview here:

However, due to how the match played out, with ‘Reug Reug’ dominating proceedings in the stand-up department, the American Top Team and Evolve MMA superstar had to rely on his bread and butter to put up something for himself.

To everyone’s surprise, the Senegalese wrestling powerhouse did well whenever he got entangled with the Sao Paulo-born martial artist. He relied on his tanky frame and wrestling base before starching him upstairs to gain a clear-cut unanimous decision.

Although there were instances where the 971 MMA and Black Panther Sports representative was forced to seek an entry from the top against the multi-time BJJ world champion, he was simply thankful that he managed to come out unharmed.

‘Reug Reug’ is now 5-1 in the heavyweight division of ONE Championship, and he believes he’s proven his worth to earn a shot at Anatoly Malykhin’s heavyweight world title.

North American fans who missed his emphatic win at ONE Fight Night 13 can watch the card via replay on Amazon Prime Video.