ONE Championship™ (ONE), the world’s largest martial arts organisation, returned to the historic Lumpinee Stadium for another epic blockbuster in ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug.
In the main event, “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane shocked the world by scoring a hard-earned split-decision victory over previously unbeaten Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin to capture the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title.
Kane set the tone in the first round with a successful takedown. “Reug Reug” then controlled the action in the clinch going into the second stanza, forcing the Russian star to carry his weight.
Malykhin came alive in the third and fourth rounds, connecting with clubbing hooks and thudding shots to the midsection. However, “Reug Reug” would showcase an incredible chin, as he stood his ground in front of the Russian mauler.
The final frame saw Kane dropping “Sladkiy” with a left, after which the defending champion was forced to tie up the Senegalese superstar in the corner. The two heavyweight behemoths then continued to trade heavy artillery until the final bell.
With the victory, Kane made history and became Africa’s first-ever ONE World Champion.
After losing the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title on the scales the day prior, former divisional king Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon turned in a virtuoso performance, dominating Jacob Smith in the evening’s co-main event.
Rodtang was a step ahead of his opponent for the entirety of their rematch, operating behind frequent blitzes of lightning-quick hooks and slicing elbows. Smith had trouble finding his rhythm after consistently getting tagged by Rodtang’s counters.
“The Iron Man” opened Smith up in the third round, which forced a sense of urgency on the part of the Englishman. But Rodtang was far too slick and cruised to a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards, just like he did in their May 2022 clash.
ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug Complete Results
Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane def. Anatoly Malykhin via split decision to become the new ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion
Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Jacob Smith via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – catchweight of 135.50 pounds)
Jackie Buntan def. Anissa Meksen via unanimous decision to become the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion
Adriano Moraes def. Danny Kingad via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:14 in round two (MMA – flyweight)
Kongthoranee Sor Sommai def. Tagir Khalilov via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – catchweight of 139.25 pounds)
Kade Ruotolo def. Ahmed Mujtaba via submission (D’Arce choke) at 1:04 of round one (MMA – lightweight)
Sam-A Gaiyanghadao def. Zhang Peimian via unanimous decision (Kickboxing – strawweight)
Marcus Almeida def. Amir Aliakbari via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:15 of round one (MMA – heavyweight)
Mohamed Younes Rabah def. Eddie Abasolo via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – featherweight)
Ayaka Miura def. Macarena Aragon via submission (scarf-hold Americana) at 2:20 of round one (MMA – atomweight)
Aliff Sor Dechapan def. Walter Goncalves via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – strawweight)
Performance Bonus Winners:
– Kade Ruotolo (US$50,000)
– Marcus Almeida (US$50,000)
– Ayaka Miura (US$50,000)
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