ONE schedules Reug Reug rematch

ONE Championship has set Oumar Kane’s first heavyweight title defense against Anatoly Malykhin for May 15 at The Inner Circle in Bangkok. (onefc.com) The promotion said the rematch will headline the card from Lumpinee Stadium and stream live in Asia primetime. MMA Fighting reported Sunday that ONE officials confirmed the booking after an earlier date fell through. (onefc.com) (mmafighting.com) Kane, who fights as Reug Reug, took the belt from Malykhin by split decision at ONE 169 on November 8, 2024. ONE’s official results listed that bout as the heavyweight mixed martial arts world championship main event. (onefc.com) That result ended Malykhin’s run as heavyweight champion and handed him the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts career in ONE. ONE still lists the Russian as its active middleweight and light heavyweight champion. (onefc.com 1) (onefc.com 2) The rematch has been delayed before. MMA Fighting and other outlets reported that Kane was injured in a car accident, forcing ONE to postpone a previously planned return fight. (mmafighting.com) (msn.com) Kane’s rise has made him one of the few African-born champions on ONE’s roster. His official fighter page says the Senegalese heavyweight debuted for the promotion in 2021 and built his standing with a string of heavyweight wins. (onefc.com) Malykhin enters the rematch with a different kind of leverage: he has already held titles in three weight classes in ONE. The promotion describes him as a former three-division world champion who remains active two divisions below heavyweight. (onefc.com) The May 15 booking gives ONE a confirmed date for one of its biggest unresolved title fights. After a five-round split decision in the first meeting, the promotion now has a return bout on the calendar. (onefc.com 1) (onefc.com 2)