MMA Knockout

"Reug Reug" Stuns Anatoly Malykhin with Massive Upset in ONE 169 Main Event

The Senegalese wrestler was a huge underdog heading into ONE 169.

Drew Beaupre

(ONE Championship

ONE 169 was headlined by a highly-anticipated heavyweight title fight between three-divison ONE Championship titleholder Anatoly Malykhin and Oumar "Reug Reug" Kane.

Kane Claims Heavyweight Title At ONE 169

Originally scheduled to take place in Atlanta, GA before being moved to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, ONE 169 featured a total of three title bouts with the matchup between Malykhin and Kane at the top of the bill.

ONE 169 Live Results & Highlights – Malykhin vs. Kane, Rodtang vs. Smith 2

Malykhin entered the night looking to secure his first ONE Championship title defense and add to his unbeaten record, while Kane was hoping to claim ONE Championship gold and win his fourth MMA fight in a row after also scoring a first-round finish in his kickboxing debut in July.

"Reug Reug" was a sizeable underdog heading into the biggest fight of his career, but in the opening round the Senegalese wrestler was able to bring the champion to the mat and eventually forced referee Herb Dean to issue a yellow card to Malykhin for grabbing the ring ropes.

"Spartak" initiated a clinch to kick off the second frame, and in a grappling-heavy round it was Kane that received a stern warning from the referee for putting his fingers in Malykhin's glove.

The two heavyweights opened the third round by exchanging some massive punches, and when Malykhin forced "Reug Reug" to the corner it allowed the champion to land some big shots that surprisingly seemed to have little effect on the challenger.

The fourth and fifth rounds saw the two men alternate between wild striking exchanges and unsuccessful takedown attempts, and after 25 hard-fought minutes it was Kane that won the heavyweight title via split decision.

Rodtang Outclasses Jacob Smith in Muay Thai Rematch at ONE 169

The heavyweight title bout closed out an action-packed ONE 169 card that saw Rodtang earn his second victory over Jacob Smith after Jackie Buntan won the inaugural ONE Women's Strawweight Kickboxing title, and the event also featured big submission-wins from Adriano Moraes, Marcus Buchecha, and Kade Ruotolo.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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