As 2024 draws to a close, the action in combat sports heats up. A packed week of competitive violence continues overseas this Friday night for the penultimate card from ONE Championship on Amazon Prime for the year.
ONE 169 originates from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand this coming weekend. Live coverage begins Friday evening at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on the streaming service. One note: Amazon‘s broadcast of ONE 169 is exclusive to Prime Video for viewers in the United States and Canada only.
Viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland can see ONE 169 on Sky Sports this Saturday morning (UK time) at 1 am. All told, barring any last-minute alterations to the slate, the final version of this week’s show features 11 bouts between Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA.
Heavyweight Championship Up For Grabs During ONE 169 Main Event
Three title fights are at the top of the bill. Immediately following the ONE 169 co-main event, the headlining attraction moves to MMA where the ONE Heavyweight Championship is on the line.
Three-division champion Anatoly Malykhin (14-0 MMA, 6-0 ONE Championship) puts his heavyweight strap at risk against challenger Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane (6-1 MMA, 5-1 ONE Championship) in the ONE 169 main event. As with all MMA title fights, this main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
You might not want to let that happen! 😳 Will we see a knockout when Reug Reug goes toe-to-toe with Anatoly Malykhin at ONE 169?#ONE169 | Nov 8 at 8PM ET
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ONE 169 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the ONE 169 main event, the tale of the tape is a dead heat. Both the champion and challenger stand level in height at six feet even. Both possess identical 78-inch reaches.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Anatoly Malykhin installed as a -800 favorite on the money line, while Oumar Kane counters as a +550 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight in MMA and/or combat sports, please wager responsibly.
Malykhin Following His Dreams
Anatoly Malykhin enters the ONE 169 main event having yet to lose thus far in his MMA career. Most recently, he scored a third-round TKO (retirement) against current UFC fighter Reinier de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 7-2 ONE Championship) during ONE 166’s main event on March 1. In so doing, he claimed the promotion’s middleweight championship.
Recently, the triple-champ talked to ONE Championship about accomplishing a lifelong goal.
“It has always been my dream,” the champion said. “I always wanted to be an athlete and reach high results, become a World Champion, and my dream has come true. Despite everything that happened in my life, I have made it and realized my childhood dream.”
Anatoly Malykhin could not have possibly imagined that when he told his arithmetic teacher of his fantasy to attain a world championship that he’d one day hold belts in three weight classes, something that no other athlete in the history of MMA has ever accomplished. Can he defend the heavyweight title on Friday night? Tune in and find out.
“Reug Reug” Fighting For Family Honor
In the other corner, challenger Oumar Kane, also known as “Reug Reug”, has gone 4-1 in his last five MMA fights. Last time out in MMA, he bested Marcus Buchecha (4-1 MMA, 4-1 ONE Championship) by unanimous decision in August of last year during ONE Fight Night 13 on Amazon Prime Video.
Recently, Kane was interviewed by the promotion about how his uncle gave him the inspiration to compete in combat sports.
“My uncle is very, very nice,” Kane said. “He taught me everything. Before, when I had nothing, he would give me money, and take care of me, my mom, my brother, and my little sister. He’s a good uncle. I make sure he is good, as I am now responsible for a lot of people, just like he was.”
Can “Reug Reug” take the championship in the ONE 169 main event? Only time will tell.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, while both fighters in the ONE 169 main event have wrestling backgrounds, Anatoly Malykhin has the edge due to his status as a Master of Sport in Freestyle Wrestling.
Malykhin Can Make Guys Quit
Numerically speaking, Anatoly Malykhin has finished all of his 14 career victories inside the distance, including his March fight vs. Reinier de Ridder, a rematch for the middleweight title. During the third round of a scheduled five, after teeing off with body shots in round two, he executed a sprawl on a de Ridder takedown and scored with head shots along with knees to a downed Reinier de Ridder.
Malykhin got up but de Ridder could only move gingerly, forcing Herb Dean to wave off the contest. Malykhin has the power and the skills to tire out any opponent.
If he comes out throwing shots to the body in the headliner, he’ll be in control of the contest.
“Reug Reug” Has Brilliant Ground Game
In the other corner, Oumar Kane is brutal when a fight gets to the mat, as was seen during his 2022 fight versus Batradz Gazzaev. During the second round of a scheduled three, Kane drove Gazzaev against the cage fence before dropping him and going to the turtle position, landing shots to the head.
Upon transitioning to full mount, Kane poured it on, scoring multiple hammerfists to force Herb Dean to call for the bell. All it’ll take Oumar Kane to win the ONE 169 main event is just a single takedown.
After that, it’s his world and we’re all living in it.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been following MMA for any length of time, there’s one constant when it comes to fights in the heavyweight division: Don’t expect the fight to go the contracted length. This might be the case here.
Prediction: Anatoly Malykhin by Third-Round Knockout.
