Anatoly Malykhin’s second fight with Reug Reug was an absolute rollercoaster.
Eighteen months after their first encounter, which ended in a controversial split decision win for Reug Reug (a.k.a. Oumar Kane), Malykhin gained a measure of revenge and regained the ONE heavyweight championship with a fourth-round knockout of his rival at ONE Friday Fights 154 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Watch the finish below.
The ending of the fight
was just the beginning of the drama, as Malykhin landed a few post-KO kicks to the fallen Reug Reug, drawing the ire of the Senegalese’s corner. Malykhin’s corner rushed in for a brief brawl, which Malykhin attempted to defuse, to his credit.
Making the moment even more memorable, Malykhin removed his gloves afterwards, apparently signaling his retirement from competition.
The bout itself looked like it would be forgettable at first, with Reug Reug employing a bizarre strategy of backing his way into the corner and waiting for Malykhin to come to him. This resulted in plenty of hand fighting, but little substantial offense from either fighter. Malykhin and Reug Reug’s first fight in November 2024 was also notable for its lack of action and fans appeared to be facing another dreadful outing between the ONE stars.
However, Malykhin began to find his range in Round 3, then in Round 4 he turned Reug Reug’s lights off with a huge right hand that crumpled the champion. Several heavy punches followed to seal the deal, and then Malykhin added in the kicks that left Reug Reug’s corner fuming.
Should this be the end for the 38-year-old Malykhin, he retires with a 15-1 pro record and ONE Championship title wins at both heavyweight (twice) and light heavyweight. He rose to stardom with a pair of title fight wins over fellow dual-division ONE champion Reinier de Ridder prior to “RDR” making his way to the UFC.
