Oumar Kane has had a busy year. The Senegalese star has won two fights out of two for ONE Championship and will be competing for the third time this week.
Heavyweights typically only fight two to three times per year but Kane is on a roll and has big plans for 2021,
“It’s the same message I said at the beginning: ‘Brandon Vera, it’s me and you for the title at the end of the year’. I have a wish list of fighters. I have to win this fight first, then the next, and the next until I get to the champion.”
In his first fight he finished Alain Ngalani under a round at ONE: ‘Unbreakable’ Part II. His second appearance did not last any longer, ‘Reug Reug’ needed less than two minutes to put away Swiss kickboxer Patrick Schmid.
He feels there was room for improvement after his ONE Championship debut,
“The Ngalani fight was my first fight in 18 months. I needed a few moments to get used to the cage (but) the last version of me you saw will just keep getting better.”
Confident mindset
His most recent fight was switched at the last minute. Kane had originally been scheduled to take on Iranian wrestler Mehdi Barghi at ONE on TNT but he was replaced by Schmid at the 11th hour.
Despite his opponent’s kickboxing credentials Kane still dominated the stand up exchanges and did not look in any hurry to take the fight down,
“I was training to fight a grappler so I made the switch to just stand in the cage and try to take this guy out,” he explains.
That was three weeks ago and Kane says he had no hesitation in accepting two fights in a calendar month,
“I will fight at a moment’s notice. I’m here to fight and win and become the best champ in the organization. I’m here, ready to fight three weeks after my last fight. My confidence is there to see.”
Step up
At ONE on TNT Part IV this week he faces the undefeated undefeated Kirill Grishenko. Both men have identical records but Kane is confident it will be he who secures a fourth win,
“Every fight going forward is going to get harder and tougher, but I’m ready. Nobody trains as hard as me, no one wants it as much as me,” Kane says.
Kane feels that Grishenko represents exactly the sort of step up he needs in order to establish his title credentials,
“I am excited to test myself against a better opponent with a more rounded skill set. Me and my coaches have watched his fights, and we have prepared in every way possible.”
The Belarusian will be making his ONE Championship debut but Kane believes it will be the biggest test of his MMA career,
“I don’t want to talk about how I will fight this guy. Just know I’m prepared. I don’t come into the cage to dance. We are here to fight, and this will be both of our toughest fights to date.”
Air Oumar
He also claims to have some new tricks up his sleeve ahead of the fight which will be broadcast live on TNT,
“I have a lot of tricks nobody has seen. They will know ‘Air Oumar’ is ready for takeoff.”
While he might be expecting a difficult fight Kane is in no doubt about what the outcome will be,
“The fight will end with me getting my hand raised. This I know for sure.”
