ONE heavyweight champion Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane was involved in a “serious car accident,” and as a result, his upcoming rematch against Anatoly Malykhin has been postponed.
ONE Championship officials confirmed the news on Thursday after Reug Reug and Malykhin were scheduled to meet in the co-main event at ONE 173 in Japan on Nov. 16.
“The 33-year-old Senegalese superstar was involved in a serious car accident in the United Arab Emirates and will be unable to compete inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Sunday, November 16,” ONE Championship officials wrote.
“The extent of his injuries has not been disclosed, but the setback marks a devastating blow for the Senegalese superstar, who was preparing to defend his heavyweight crown for the first time in front of a massive Japanese crowd.”
First joining ONE back in 2021, Reug Reug boasted a 6-1 record — including a win over current UFC heavyweight Marcus Buchecha — when he earned a shot at Malykhin’s heavyweight title. The back-and-forth fight ended with Reug Reug earning a split decision to claim the title.
Malykhin was granted an immediate rematch after he went on an undefeated tear through ONE, including multiple wins over Reinier de Ridder as well as ex-UFC heavyweight Arjan Bhullar, and the fight was scheduled for the upcoming card in Japan. Unfortunately, now the heavyweights will have to wait until a later date to settle their unfinished business.
The ONE 173 card moves forward with two more MMA titles being defended including Christian Lee putting his welterweight belt up for grabs against Alibeg Rasulov and ONE strawweight champion Joshua Pacio moving up to flyweight to challenge champion Yuya Wakamatsu.
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