'Reug Reug' ready to bring ONE heavyweight title 'back to Senegal and Dubai'

Oumar Kane takes on undefeated Russian Anatoly Malykhin in main event at ONE 169 in Bangkok this Saturday

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  Senegalese MMA fighter Oumar Kane, more commonly known as 'Reug Reug', trains for his upcoming match against ONE heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin in the headline event at ONE 169. All photos Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Senegalese heavyweight 'Reug Reug' trains at the TRIPL3 MMA gym in Jumeirah Lake Towers and now calls Dubai home.

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  'Reug Reug' shares a joke in training in Dubai where is preparing to face ONE heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin.

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  'Reug Reug' warms up ahead of training at the TRIPL3 MMA gym in Dubai.

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  'Reug Reug' has a pro MMA record of six wins against one defeat.

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  'Reug Reug' pads up ahead of a workout at the TRIPL3 MMA gym in Dubai.

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  'Reug Reug' has trained in a 'laamb' a type of wrestling popular in his homeland of Senegal, since he was six.

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  'Reug Reug' says he will be 'a problem' for Anatoly Malykhin wherever their fight goes.

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  'Reug Reug' grapples with a sparring partner.

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  'Reug Reug' hits the pads during training at TRIPL3 MMA gym in Dubai.

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  'Reug Reug' during a warm-up.

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  'Reug Reug' says he wants to bring the title 'back to Senegal and Dubai.'

The Middle East is now a well established hub for combat sports. Last month, Abu Dhabi hosted UFC 308, where Ilia Topuria successfully defended his featherweight title against Max Holloway in the main event.

Before that, Francis Ngannou made a successful return to mixed martial arts when he downed the giant Renan Ferreira in a heavyweight clash dubbed ‘The Battle of the Giants’ in Riyadh.

Many fighters choose to make the UAE their home or set up camp here in preparation for an upcoming event. Khamzat Chimaev, who beat Robert Whittaker in the co-main event at UFC 308, now resides and fights out of the UAE. Former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker himself trained in Dubai in preparation for the bout.

Senegalese heavyweight Oumar Kane is another who now calls Dubai home. More commonly know as "Reug Reug" (which means someone who’s invisible) has been practising the art of ‘Laamb’, a type of wresting popular in his homeland, since he was six. He trains at the TRIPL3 MMA gym in Jumeirah Lake Towers.

"I’ve been living on and off in Dubai since 2021. But more permanently for the last couple years in order to focus on my training 100 per cent," he told The National.

"I went to train in the US for a few months and then went back to Senegal. After that I came to Dubai, training in a few different gyms until my managers found my current coaches Milano and Ramzi of TRIPL3 MMA – and we have done five fights together already."

Reug Reug, 32, is preparing for his next bout, where he takes on Anatoly Malykhin in the main event at ONE 169 in Bangkok on Saturday for the Russian's heavyweight title.

"I feel good, I’ve had a long camp and every camp I get better. I feel very confident on bringing the belt to Senegal and Dubai." Reug Reug said.

Malykhin, 36, boasts a perfect record of 14 wins and also holds the ONE organisation's light heavyweight and middleweight belts. Despite his underdog status, Reug Reug, who has six wins against one loss in his MMA career, is confident he has the tools to dethrone the Russian.

"I’m still very new to MMA, every fight I am a new version of myself and I’m adding new skills to my game. Wherever it goes I’ll be a problem for Anatoly," he said.

Asked what it would mean to inflict a first defeat of Malykhin's pro career, Reug Reug responded: "I’m focused on my own goals and legacy, beating Malykhin is just part of it. That’s it."