Tag: ONE 169

Anatoly Malykhin Loses 1 Of 3 Titles To ‘Reug Reug’ In Huge ONE 169 Upset

Anatoly Malykhin’s three-division kingpin status is no more following ONE 169. Malykhin became the first MMA fighter in a major organization to capture gold across three separate weight classes earlier this year when he added the ONE Championship middleweight title to a trophy cabinet that already boasted the heavyweight and light heavyweight belts. And after […]

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Anatoly Malykhin’s three-division kingpin status is no more following ONE 169.

Malykhin became the first MMA fighter in a major organization to capture gold across three separate weight classes earlier this year when he added the ONE Championship middleweight title to a trophy cabinet that already boasted the heavyweight and light heavyweight belts.

And after getting the better of Reinier de Ridder for the second time to accomplish that feat, the Russian behemoth turned his sights to defending his thrones.

His first attempt at adding a successful retention to his résumé came on Friday night at ONE 169, which he headlined inside the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand opposite Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane.

The Senegalese wrestler entered the event as a significant underdog against the undefeated “Sladkiy,” but he overcame the odds to have the heavyweight strap placed on his shoulder after five rounds.

Kane started strong, making good on his pre-fight promise to take the Russian champ down. And Malykhin’s use of the ropes to fight his challenger’s smothering wrestling resulted in a yellow card from referee Herb Dean.

That ultimately proved crucial, as he fell on the wrong side of a split decision verdict to be relegated to two-division titleholder status at ONE 169.

During fight week, Malykhin had expressed firm confidence in his chances of brushing “Reug Reug” aside before turning his attention to PFL star Francis Ngannou in 2025, having taken issue with “The Predator’s” claim to global heavyweight supremacy.

But with Kane now on the throne, perhaps a door has been opened to a huge Senegal vs. Cameroon showdown down the line, should the PFL and ONE come to terms on a cross-promotional event.

Elsewhere at ONE 169, there were big wins for the likes of Kade Ruotolo and Jackie Buntan. While the lightweight submission grappling champion further showed his MMA promise by club-and-subbing Ahmed Mujtaba, the Filipino-American finally got her hands on ONE gold by outpointing Anissa Meksen for the inaugural strawweight kickboxing title.

Thai star Rodtang Jitmuangnon also had his hand raised after getting the better of England’s Jacob Smith for the second time. Unfortunately, his weight miss on Thursday meant he was ineligible to exit with the flyweight Muay Thai title.

Continue Reading Anatoly Malykhin Loses 1 Of 3 Titles To ‘Reug Reug’ In Huge ONE 169 Upset at MMA News.

Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane Stuns Anatoly Malykhin, Takes Heavyweight Title via Split Decision – ONE 169 Highlights

Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane Stuns Anatoly Malykhin, Takes Heavyweight Title via Split Decision - ONE 169 HighlightsSenegalese sensation Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane shocked the world at ONE 169 in Bangkok, scoring a split decision victory…

Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane Stuns Anatoly Malykhin, Takes Heavyweight Title via Split Decision - ONE 169 Highlights

Senegalese sensation Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane shocked the world at ONE 169 in Bangkok, scoring a split decision victory over Anatoly Malykhin to claim the ONE heavyweight title.

Things got off to a smashing start for Kane in the opening round as he quickly took Malykhin to the mat — becoming the first fighter to ever do so inside the Circle — and promptly ragdolling him. However, Malykhin made a habit out of putting his arm over the ring ropes to stay upright which is akin to grabbing the cage in a more traditional MMA setting.

That prompted referee Herb Dean to issue a strong warning that eventually resulted in a yellow card when Malykhin did it a second time.

Despite the early setback, Malykhin appeared to be in control for much of the last three rounds, continuously cornering ‘Reug Reug’ and landing a few big blows before fishing for a takedown he’d never quite land. Dean stayed busy by breaking the fighters up every couple of minutes, but before long, they’d end up back in the same position. Things went that way for much of the final 10 minutes, leading many to believe that Malykhin’s aggression and control time would ultimately win him the fight after going the distance for the first time in his career.

Instead, the judges in Bangkok threw fight fans for a loop, crowning Kane the new ONE heavyweight king via a somewhat controversial split decision.

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Official Result: Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane def. Anatoly Malykhin via split decision to win the ONE heavyweight world championship.

With the win, Kane becomes ONE Championship’s first African-born titleholder.

Meanwhile, Anatoly Malykhin suffered the first loss of his career, falling to 14-1 and seeing his coveted status as MMA’s first and only simultaneous three-division champion disappear. Still, ‘Sladkiy’ has both the ONE light heavyweight and middleweight world titles — two belts with plenty of challengers chomping at the bit to challenge the Russian juggernaut.

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Check out highlights from Anatoly Malykin vs. Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane at ONE 169:

 
 
 
 
 
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Rodtang Smashes Through Jacob Smith, Vows to Reclaim Flyweight Title After Weight Miss – ONE 169 Highlights

Rodtang Smashes Through Jacob Smith, Vows to Reclaim Flyweight Title After Weight Miss - ONE 169 HighlightsRodtang Jitmuangnon scored another dominant victory against British standout Jacob Smith on Friday night in the ONE 169 co-main…

Rodtang Smashes Through Jacob Smith, Vows to Reclaim Flyweight Title After Weight Miss - ONE 169 Highlights

Rodtang Jitmuangnon scored another dominant victory against British standout Jacob Smith on Friday night in the ONE 169 co-main event.

After seemingly fighting the first round on autopilot, Rodtang started to pick things up in the second, showing flashes of his larger-than-life personality. Unfortunately, that typically spells disaster for his opponents.

Like their first fight in May 2022, Smith was more than willing to engage with ‘The Iron Man’ and go toe-to-toe, but that decision cost him big in the third round when Rodtang landed a nasty elbow near Smith’s right eye that immediately busted the Brit open and had him quickly retreating. Smith ultimately made it out of the round, but by then, the damage was done.

Rodtang

Things got a little chippy between the two with Smith and the Thai seemingly headbutting one another at one point in the fourth. In a rather hilarious moment, ‘The Iron Man’ put Smith on the mat with a leg kick and then proceeded to kiss him on the top of the head before the fight resumed.

Things sort of went that way during the championship rounds with Rodtang just out there dominating his opponent and having fun every step of the way. To Smith’s credit, he went the full 15 minutes with Rodtang, but in the end, it was another decisive decision victory for the Thai superstar.

Rodtang

Official Result: Rodtang def. Jacob Smith via unanimous decision.

Unfortunately, Rodtang will not leave Lumpinee Stadium with the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title. ‘The Iron Man’ failed to meet the weight and hydration requirements for their ONE 169 co-main event, meaning only Smith was eligible to win the belt.

Speaking with Mitch Chilson in the ring, ‘The Iron Man’ made it clear that reclaiming the ONE flyweight Muay Thai title is a top priority, but that will come down to whether or not ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong decides to give him that opportunity.

Rodtang

Check out highlights from Rodtang vs. Jacob Smith at ONE 169:

Jackie Buntan Outworks Anissa Meksen to Become ONE’s First Strawweight Kickboxing Queen – ONE 169 Highlights

Jackie Buntan Outworks Anissa Meksen to Become ONE's First Strawweight Kickboxing Queen - ONE 169 HighlightsJackie Buntan bested one of the most accomplished female fighters in the world to score her first ONE world…

Jackie Buntan Outworks Anissa Meksen to Become ONE's First Strawweight Kickboxing Queen - ONE 169 Highlights

Jackie Buntan bested one of the most accomplished female fighters in the world to score her first ONE world championship.

Returning to the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Buntan went toe-to-toe for five rounds with the seven-time titleholder at ONE 169 on Friday night. Throughout their 15-minute war, things remained relatively close, but it was Buntan’s constant pressure and brutal body attacks that appeared to win the day against Meksen.

Jackie Buntan

In the end, Buntan won the bout via a decisive unanimous decision and became the promotion’s first-ever ONE strawweight kickboxing world titleholder. Buntan also extended her unbeaten streak to four in a row and is now 7-1 under the ONE Championship banner.

Jackie Buntan

Official Result: Jackie Buntan def. Anissa Meksen via unanimous decision to win the ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship.

Check out highlights from Jackie Buntan vs. Anissa Meksen at ONE 169:

Muay Thai Star Rodtang Jitmuangnon Returns To The US At ONE 169 In Atlanta

A staggering fourth title fight has been added to ONE Championship’s debut in Atlanta and it features one of their biggest stars, Rodtang Jitumuagnon. As the biggest name in Muay Thai today, “The Iron Man” has become a social media sensation because of his always entertaining fighting style. Having featured on ONE Championship’s debut event […]

Continue Reading Muay Thai Star Rodtang Jitmuangnon Returns To The US At ONE 169 In Atlanta at MMA News.

A staggering fourth title fight has been added to ONE Championship’s debut in Atlanta and it features one of their biggest stars, Rodtang Jitumuagnon.

As the biggest name in Muay Thai today, “The Iron Man” has become a social media sensation because of his always entertaining fighting style.

Having featured on ONE Championship’s debut event in the United States last year (ONE Fight Night 10 in Denver), he’s now set to return to the US in November as reported by Sports Illustrated.

The ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion will be putting his belt on the line in a rematch with England’s Jacob Smith at the State Farm Arena on November 8.

They last met back in May of 2022 where Rodtang secured a unanimous decision win to advance in the flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix.

The Thai star returned to action in June where he went three rounds with Denis Puric in a kickboxing bout that delivered one of the best fights of the year so far in ONE Championship.

He last defended his world championship back in November of 2022 where he convincingly beat strawweight champion Joseph Lasiri over five rounds.

This now makes for a total of four world championship fights for Atlanta, two in MMA and two in Muay Thai.

Three-division champion Anatoly Malykhin will be defending his heavyweight title against Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane in the main event whilst two-weight king Christian Lee makes his long-awaited return to defend his lightweight crown against Alibeg Rasulov.

The other title fight sees Tawanchai defend his ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship against Jo Nattawut in a trilogy fight between the two Thai strikers.

November 8 has also been rumoured to feature a boxing match between former UFC rivals Rashad Evans and ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

Read also: Former ONE Championship Strawweight King Jarred Brooks Names Jon Jones As The Perfect Fighter

Continue Reading Muay Thai Star Rodtang Jitmuangnon Returns To The US At ONE 169 In Atlanta at MMA News.

Christian Lee Set To Defend Lightweight Title At ONE 169: Atlanta After Two-Year Hiatus

ONE lightweight and welterweight world champion Christian Lee is set to make his long-awaited return at ONE 169 on November 8 in Atlanta. He will be defending his lightweight title against the undefeated Alibeg Rasulov at the State Farm Arena in ONE Championship’s second US event of the year. Lee has been out of action […]

Continue Reading Christian Lee Set To Defend Lightweight Title At ONE 169: Atlanta After Two-Year Hiatus at MMA News.

ONE lightweight and welterweight world champion Christian Lee is set to make his long-awaited return at ONE 169 on November 8 in Atlanta.

He will be defending his lightweight title against the undefeated Alibeg Rasulov at the State Farm Arena in ONE Championship’s second US event of the year.

Lee has been out of action since winning the welterweight title at ONE on Prime Video 4 in November of 2022.

At the end of that year, tragedy struck the Lee family as Christian’s younger sister and former ONE Championship athlete, Victoria, took her own life. This led to her siblings, Christian and Angela, to take a break from the spotlight.

Christian’s elder sister Angela has since vacated her atomweight title and retired from MMA whilst his younger brother Adrian became the first of the Lee family to compete after Victoria’s passing, when he made his pro debut at ONE 167 in June.

Christian’s upcoming opponent, Turkey’s Rasulov, made his debut in ONE this past weekend at ONE Fight Night 23 where he won a unanimous decision after going five rounds with former champion Ok Rae Yoon.

Despite the interim lightweight title being on the line in this fight, Rasulov was unable to win the belt after he made weight but failed his hydration test.

The lightweight title fight joins two other previously announced world championship clashes on the card for November 8 in Atlanta.

In the main event, ONE three-weight world champion Anatoly Malykhin will defend his heavyweight title against Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane.

ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai will also be in action when he faces Jo Nattawut in a trilogy fight following their closely contested clash at ONE 167.

Read also: ONE Championship Three-Division Champion Anatoly Malykhin Reacts To Being Called ‘Most Dangerous’ By Islam Makhachev, Says No ‘Escape’ For Francis Ngannou

Continue Reading Christian Lee Set To Defend Lightweight Title At ONE 169: Atlanta After Two-Year Hiatus at MMA News.