Anatoly Malykhin will defend his ONE Heavyweight MMA world title against Oumar Kane in the main event of ONE 169: Atlanta in the morning hours of Saturday, November 9.
The clash sees two stars with incredible wrestling skills and knockout punching power lock horns in ONE Championship’s second event on American soil after the martial arts organization made its US debut last May with ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs Moraes.
At ONE 169: Atlanta, Malykhin defends his heavyweight crown for the first time since he captured the title with a dominant win against Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 last June.
Malykhin became the sport’s first three-division MMA world champion in the sport’s history with an impressive TKO victory against former ONE Middleweight MMA world champion Reinier De Ridder in ONE 166: Qatar earlier in March. The Russian star had taken the De Ridder’s ONE Light Heavyweight MMA world title in December 2022, becoming the first competitor to defeat the Dutchman in a professional MMA bout.
Considered one of the biggest MMA stars in the world today, Malykhin, 36, boasts an undefeated 13-0 professional MMA record with a 100% finishing rate. However, the talented Russian could be set for his most difficult test yet in November.
Nicknamed “Reug Reug”, Kane is a former Senegal wrestling champion known for his concussive punches and top takedown skills. The 32-year-old Senegalese contender has won three fights in a row with his latest win coming at the expense of BJJ star Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida via unanimous decision.
ONE Championship also announced that ONE Featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai will be defending his gold against compatriot Jo Nattawut in the show’s co-main event.
Tawanchai and Nattawut battled each other, once under kickboxing rules and another time under Muay Thai rules, with the champion coming out on top via controversial decisions.
Nattawut, who lives and trains in Atlanta, will be hoping to finally defeat his long-time rival in front of American fans while Tawanchai is eying a third rivalry-ending victory.
ONE 169: Atlanta kicks off at 3:00 AM Mecca on Saturday, November 9. Fans in the MENA region can watch the show on beIN SPORTS and watch.onefc.com.
