Anatoly Malykhin laughs off ‘Reug Reug’ threat: “He’s slow”

ONE heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin respects Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane as a fighter but does not see the Senegalese as a serious threat to his title.

The 31-year-old Thiaroye sur Mer native chalked up his third straight victory in less than a year at ONE Fight Night 13 on Prime Video on August 4 in Bangkok.

‘Reug Reug’ bettered the previously undefeated Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida in their featured heavyweight clash at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, winning by way of a hard-earned unanimous decision.

Asked by ONE Championship for his thoughts on the performance of the currently streaking fighter from Senegal, Anatoly Malykhin of Russia said that ‘Reug Reug’ is not yet at his level:

“No, he didn't [impress me]. He's slow. He's not a bad wrestler, but his level of functional training is poor. He didn't surprise me at all. He fought at his level.”

Watch ‘Reug Reug’ in action below:

At ONE Fight Night 13, ‘Reug Reug’ steadily wore down ‘Buchecha’ in their three-round clash, attacking from all directions.

The Brazilian legend tried to hold his own through his extensive jiu-jitsu experience. But while he had his moments, they were not enough to swing the tide in his favor.

Meanwhile, Anatoly Malykhin continues to dominate the heavyweight division. He recently unified the ONE heavyweight belts by defeating former world champion Arjan Bhullar by technical knockout in the third round of their unification fight last June.

Apart from being the heavyweight world champion, ‘Sladkiy’ also holds the light heavyweight championship belt.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 13 is available for free to Prime Video subscribers in North America.