By:  | December 3, 2023 4:14 pm

It looks like Reug Reug will be back in ONE Championship action in 2024. The heavyweight fought out his contract this year and made it clear he planned to test the waters of free agency.

Reug Reug, whose real name is Oumar Kane, did not find the temperature to his liking by the sounds of it. He now has his sights on ONE Championship heavyweight king Anatoly Malykhin and left an expletive filled rant for the Russian on Instagram.

Amongst other things Reug Reug told Malykhin he was,

“a dead man walking.”

 

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A post shared by Reug Reug (@reugreug)

My belt

Among the people commenting was Malykhin himself and ONE Championship head honcho Chatri Sityodtong. It seems that Reug Reug is back in the fold and could be next in line for a shot at the heavyweight champion.

“Let’s go Anatoly. This is my belt not your belt, this is my time. I’m gonna f**k you up.”

At the end of the video Reug Reug clenches his fist and growls. He earned himself a $50,000 USD bonus for beating Marcus Almeida by decision a ONE Fight Night 13.

Heavyweight rivals

That was Reug Reug’s fifth ONE Championship win. No heavyweight currently on the roster has won more fights for the promotion and the 31 year old is clearly hoping he has leapfrogged Amir Aliakbari.

Aliakbari is also coming off three straight wins and the Iranian has finished all of those opponents inside the distance. He confronted Malykhin in the ring after the Russian’s last title defence.

At the time the stage looked set for Aliakbari to rematch Malykhin. With Reug Reug back in the mix the Iranian might have to wait a little longer to face the opponent who stopped him in 2021.

Ben Tynan will also be playing close attention. The Canadian burst onto the scene with a third round submission win over Kang Ji Won at ONE Fight Night 16.

Intriguing prospect

There is also the intriguing prospect of Reug Reug and Aliakbari facing each other. Both come from wrestling background but the similarities end there, with the former having a traditional Senegalese style and the latter representing his country at the World Championships three times.

Malykhin and Tynan are also wrestlers but the former is becoming better known for his boxing. ONE Championship’s heavyweight division was looking a little light but with new signings and contract renewals the talent pool is deeper than ever.

Reug Reug is back and hopes to face Malykhin in 2024. The 31 year old has talked about wanting to box Anthony Joshua but seems to have now settled on a much more realistic matchup.