How Fishing in the Ocean Shaped ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion 'Reug Reug'
Before "Reug Reug" Oumar Kane became a ONE World Champion, he was a fisherman.
The 34-year-old Senegalese star reveals how a childhood spent hunting dangerous fish in the deep ocean helped forge the toughness and composure that now defines him as the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion.
Kane defends his title for the first time against arch-rival Anatoly "Sladkiy" Malykhin in a highly anticipated rematch at The Inner Circle on Friday, May 15, broadcasting live exclusively on live.onefc.com.
The Russian, who holds the promotion’s light heavyweight and middleweight belts, has vowed to finish Kane inside the first round and reclaim his status as a three-division king.
But before Bangkok, before MMA, and before stepping onto the global stage, there was a small fishing village by the sea in Senegal, where a young Oumar Kane was learning lessons that no gym could teach.
Kane Once Caught a 300-Kilogram Swordfish with His Bare Hands
Kane's fishing stories are not the kind that involve a rod, a reel, and a quiet afternoon by the river. The heavyweight champion grew up hunting some of the most dangerous creatures in the ocean, using nothing but his physical presence and primitive tools to bring them in.
"The biggest fish I caught was a 300-kilogram swordfish. It's a very dangerous fish. We caught it with our bare hands. The only tools we had were spears and a big fishing net," Kane said.
The toughness required to wrestle a 300-kilogram swordfish into a net with bare hands is not far removed from the physicality Kane brings to the ONE ring. His Senegalese wrestling foundation and four finishes from seven career victories reflect a fighter built for close-range, physical confrontation, forged long before he ever stepped into an MMA gym.
Senegalese Star Grew Up in a Fishing Village Where the Ocean was Normal Life
The champion's childhood was defined by two things. Between the discipline of wrestling and school, the sea was the constant backdrop of his daily existence, and the demands of fishing as a means of survival gave "Reug Reug” a foundation that shaped his entire character.
"All I did was wrestling and school. That's it. But when I wasn't doing that, I was fishing. We lived in a fishing village, in a small shack right by the sea. Our boats were parked up on the shore. We were always in the ocean, every day. That was normal life for us. It is how we made a living, and how we survived," he explained.
Kane is one of Senegal's most celebrated sporting figures, and his journey from a fishing village to ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion is one of combat sports' most compelling origin stories.
The same survival instinct that put food on the table for his family in Senegal has carried him through five-round wars against the toughest heavyweights on the planet, including the split decision win over Malykhin at ONE 169 in November 2024 that made him champion.
'Reug Reug' Says the Water Is His Home and It Gave Him Life
The connection between Kane and the ocean goes deeper than childhood routine. For "Reug Reug”, fishing is not just something he grew up doing. It is the foundation of everything he is, and he carries that identity with him wherever his career takes him.
"I love fishing. It's what gave me life. The water is my home. I can go very deep into the ocean, miles out. I hold my breath very long and can swim very well," he said.
The ability to hold his breath deep in the ocean, to stay calm under pressure and keep moving when others would stop, is not a bad description of the fighter Malykhin will face on May 15.
Watch The Inner Circle on Friday, May 15, exclusively on live.onefc.com beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT.
