‘Reug Reug’ says Herb Dean made a mistake giving him a yellow card in his match vs. ‘Buchecha’

ONE heavyweight rising star Oumar Kane registered the biggest win of his promising career at ONE Fight Night 13 last weekend when he handed Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida his first loss since transitioning to MMA.

However, the fighter known professionally as ‘Reug Reug’s biggest achievement by far was somehow marred by controversy when he received a yellow card in their high-stakes three-round war.

The proud Senegalese warrior, who came in as the underdog against the BJJ legend, showed massive improvements in his game and dominated the match from start to finish.

The third man in the ring, Herb Dean, however, repeatedly warned ‘Reug Reug’ for multiple infractions.

Considered one of the most respected referees in MMA today, Dean called out the 31-year-old powerhouse for throwing blows to the back of the head of ‘Buchecha’ with his ground and pound. He also sanctioned him for holding on to his opponent’s shorts and gloves during their grappling exchanges.

The veteran official eventually penalized ‘Reug Reug’ in round three with a yellow card for his subsequent fouls. Post-match, an exhausted ‘Reug Reug’ addressed the controversial moment, citing his disagreement with Dean’s decision.

He even told Mitch Chilson in his ringside interview at Lumpinee Stadium that he would have finished ‘Buchecha’ had the referee not intervened:

“So I said that I probably would have been able to finish that fight at that point, but I don’t think the referee was right with what he said.”

Under ONE rules, fighters who receive a yellow card forfeit 10 percent of their purse to their opponent.

Looks like ‘Reug Reug’ won’t be feeling the effects of that fine considering he still took home a $50,000 performance bonus for his career-defining win.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs Grigorian on Prime Video is available free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.