The animosity between the Senegalese sensation “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane and the three-division ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin isn’t new. Their rivalry has simmered on social media for some time, with verbal jabs traded back and forth. Now, the tension will reach a boiling point as they’re set to collide at ONE 169: Atlanta on Friday, November 8, inside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Before that though, Oumar Kane will return to action this weekend, as he figures in a heavyweight kickboxing match against his compatriot, Mamadou “Boucher Ketchup” Kamara at ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov on Friday, July 5, inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Anatoly Malykhin took it as another opportunity to take a jab at “Reug Reug” on social media. However, Kane wasn’t fazed and fired back at Malykhin, turning the tables.

Anatoly Malykhin and “Reug Reug” exchange insults ahead of ONE 169 title clash

Anatoly Malykhin, undefeated since his ONE Championship debut, has consistently dominated his opponents. In his most recent outing, he made history with another knockout victory against Reinier De Ridder at ONE 166 last March. The win added the ONE Middleweight MMA World Title to his light heavyweight and heavyweight belts, which made him the first-ever three-division MMA World Champion. 

Meanwhile, Oumar Kane, also known as “Reug Reug,” is riding high on his win over BJJ legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida at ONE Fight Night 13 last August. It was his third straight win for an overall record of 5-1 in the world’s largest martial arts organization, making him a legitimate threat to Malykhin’s reign. 

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Both fighters are eager to clash and they’ve been building anticipation with their social media banter. In a recent Instagram post by the South China Morning Post teasing Oumar Kane’s return to action this weekend captioned “The return of @reugreug,” Anatoly Malykhin mocked his rival by commenting, “Одень юбку” which translates to “Put on a skirt.”

“Reug Reug’ fired back by bringing up an old controversy surrounding Anatoly Malykhin’s wrestling career. In 2013, Malykhin received a two-year suspension from United World Wrestling, the international governing body of amateur wrestling, for failing to show up for a drug test.

Kane’s comment took a jab at this, saying, “Have u had ur medicine 💉 😂 daily dose fake champ.” Malykhin has yet to respond, but the war of words between the two fighters is intensifying with 129 days left until their highly anticipated clash at ONE 169: Atlanta. 

Malykhin seeks ‘easy money’ bout with Oumar Kane

Unlike many fighters who climb the weight divisions throughout their careers, Anatoly Malykhin has taken the opposite approach in ONE Championship. He began his dominant run in the heavyweight division and has since captured titles in lighter-weight classes, most recently defeating Reiner de Ridder for the middleweight MMA title. Now, he sets his sights back on defending the heavyweight belt.

Last month, Anatoly Malykhin threw shade at ‘Reug Reug’ Oumar Kane on his Instagram story. He uploaded a photo of himself having a championship belt with a dog on a leash sporting Kane’s face. The caption, “dog will always be a dog,” clearly aiming Kane. Malykhin further boasted, “Easy money is on the way,” brimming with confidence.

However, he shouldn’t underestimate Kane’s threat. ‘Reug Reug’ is riding a three-fight win streak, most notably defeating Marcus Almeida in a grueling 15-minute battle at ONE Fight Night 13 last August. This November at ONE 169: Atlanta, we’ll finally see how this plays out when Malykhin and Kane collide in the ring.

Who are you rooting for when Anatoly Malykhin and ‘Reug Reug’ collide in the octagon? What are your thoughts about this fight? Let us know in the comments.