Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane def. Batradz Gazzaev at ONE Championship 161: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Oumar Kane’s TKO win over Batradz Gazzaev at ONE Championship 161 from Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Check out these photos highlighting [autotag]Oumar Kane[/autotag]’s TKO win over Batradz Gazzaev at ONE Championship 161 from Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. (Photos courtesy of ONE Championship)

ONE on TNT IV results: Reinier de Ridder gets champ-champ status; Eddie Alvarez comes up short in epic brawl

Dutchman Reinier de Ridder is now a two-division champion, adding ONE’s light heavyweight belt to the middleweight title he already owns.

Undefeated Dutchman [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] is now a two-division champion, adding ONE’s light heavyweight belt to the middleweight title he already owns with a decision win in the main event of ONE on TNT IV, which aired Wednesday in the U.S.

And de Ridder (14-0) earned both belts by taking them away from [autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag] (26-12) – the latest in a one-sided decision win at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

At the opening bell, de Ridder moved immediately forward and was able to drag the action to the canvas, scrambling through a seres of attempted escapes before setting up on top of N Sang’s half-guard. After advancing to mount shortly after, de Ridder was able to take the back when his opponent rolled. The body triangle came in immediately after, and de Ridder went to work on a potential choke.

To his credit, N Sang defended his neck well despite being in a bad position. In reply, de Ridder simply punched away to soften things up before beautifully transitioning to an arm-triangle attempt. N Sang defended it perfectly and was able to move back to the feet and deliver a few big punches before perhaps surprisingly choosing to engage again on the floor.

In the second frame, de Ridder again shot inside immediately, but N Sang was able to defend the initial effort. As de Ridder continued working in tight, he did get the occasional takedown, but he wasn’t able to keep the fight on the canvas until past the halfway mark of the frame, when he was finally able to secure top position and step quickly to mount.

N Sang rolled to escape and did get back to his feet, but de Ridder took him down again and finished the frame on top.

The third saw de Ridder get the fight to the floor with relative ease, where he dominated the positioning. N Sang kept himself out of submission trouble, but he wasn’t able to muster any offense of his own. He worked back to his feet late in the round, but even then, he was simply stuck against the cage.

The fourth round was a carbon copy of the first three, and the final frame started out exactly the same. N Sang was able to sweep to the top with three minutes left, but he was unable to muster any offense in the position, and de Ridder cruised to a one-sided decision win, claiming his second ONE Championship belt – and announcing his intention to get a third by coming after current heavyweight titleholder Brandon Vera.

The ONE Championship struggles continue for [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] (30-8), who fought his heart out in an all-out brawl but ultimately suffered a unanimous-decision loss to [autotag]Rae Yoon Ok[/autotag] (15-3).

Alvarez attacked the legs of the taller Ok in the early going before driving forward and taking the fight to the floor. Ok stood quickly, and the battle in the clinch began. Ok was up to the challenge, and Alvarez was forced to back away and strike with the bigger man. It proved to be a dangerous proposition.

As they engaged on the feet, a massive two-punch combination from Ok sent Alvarez to the floor and seemed destined to end the fight. The South Korean set up on top and unleashed a non-stop barrage of hammerfists and straight punches. The referee gave Alvarez every opportunity to recover, and he did, taking an unbelievable amount of damage but refusing to quit.

Sensing he wasn’t going to be awarded the finish, Ok returned to the feet in the final 30 seconds, and Alvarez unbelievably was able to mount some offense just before the bell.

Alvarez was quick to the takedown in the second, but Ok remained up to the challenge. Even when Alvarez did get his opponent briefly down, Ok would work right back to his feet. Alvarez struggled to really get any effective offense logged, but he was the aggressor, even if Ok was able to defend most of it by simply setting up on the cage and staying upright.

Alvarez seemed the fresher man in the third, and he started mixing up his attacks, faking a few takedowns and driving in uppercuts and overhands depending on the read. Clearly fatigued, Ok dug deep and found the energy for a few knees and kicks up the middle while continuing to defend the takedown. In the closing seconds, the two stood toe-to-toe and took turns checking the chin to end an absolute brawl of a fight. In the end, though, the early damage proved too much to overcome for Alvarez, and judges awarded Ok the win via unanimous decision.

Viral star ‘Reug Reug’ suffers odd defeat

In a battle of undefeated heavyweights [autotag]Kirill Grishenko[/autotag] (4-0) was able to earn a somewhat bizarre victory over Senegalese wrestling sensation [autotag]Oumar Kane[/autotag] (3-1), better known as “Reug Reug.”

It was Grishenko who was the aggressor early, and he showed solid takedown defense when Kane immediately changed levels and worked from the clinch for a takedown. The position proved a stalemate, and the two would eventually reset, where Grishenko would score a couple of quick strikes before being forced to defend a takedown once again.

Kane clearly slowed as the round wore on, and Grishenko scored with a big kick to the thigh and a spinning backfist before the bell.

The second round was more of the same, with Grishenko landing big strikes when given space and then capably defending takedown attempts in the clinch. A frustrated Kane tried to land a few clubbing shots each time he would release the clinch, but he found himself unable to cause any real damage.

Controversy surrounded the ending sequence of the frame, as Grishenko landed a right hand to his opponent’s throat just after the bell, and Kane protested before dropping to the canvas. When Kane couldn’t answer the bell for the third, Grishenko was awarded a TKO win.

Shinya Aoki, Colbey Northcutt pick up submission wins on prelims

Submission wizard [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] (47-9) closed out his trilogy with fellow former ONE champ [autotag]Eduard Folayang[/autotag] (22-11) in style, scoring a first-round submission via armbar.

After a brief feeling out process to start the contest, Aoki was able to work inside to the clinch and eventually trip the action to the canvas, working quickly to mount. Once there, the end seemed almost inevitable, with Aoki controlling from the top before setting up the armbar and turning for the submission, cranking on the limb until earning the stoppage with 40 seconds left in the first round.

In the night’s first prelim, vaunted striker [autotag]Colbey Northcutt[/autotag] (2-1) showed off some grappling skills in a first-round submission win over the debuting [autotag]Courtney Martin[/autotag] (0-1).

Martin did her best to avoid the standup game by clinching and bringing the action to the floor early, but Northcutt was game from her back, chaining submission attempts together before locking in an armbar and extending the limb to earn a tap at the 2:28 mark of the first frame.

ONE on TNT IV results include:

  • Reinier de Ridder def. Aung La N Sang via unanimous decision – to win light heavyweight title
  • Rae Yoon Ok def. Eddie Alvarez via unanimous decision
  • Kirill Grishenko def. Oumar Kane via TKO (punch) – Round 2, 5:00
  • Shinya Aoki def. Eduard Folayang via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:20
  • Colbey Northcutt def. Courtney Martin via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:28

ONE on TNT I broadcast lineup finalized, includes addition of ‘Reug Reug’

If two former UFC champs isn’t enough reason for you to check out ONE’s TNT debut, will “Reug Reug” push your interest over the top?

If two former UFC champs isn’t enough reason for you to check out ONE’s TNT debut, will the addition of viral sensation “Reug Reug” push your interest over the top?

ONE officials recently announced the complete broadcast lineup for ONE on TNT I, which airs live in primetime in the U.S. on April 7 from Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The company previously revealed that former UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson (30-3-1) will challenge reigning ONE flyweight titleholder Adriano Moraes (18-3) in the night’s main event, while former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez (30-7) will face former ONE lightweight title challenger Iuri Lapicus (14-1) in the co-main.

Rounding out the TNT-broadcast main card is a all-striking contest in four-ounce gloves with ONE flyweight muay Thai champ Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a non-title catchweight affair against British striker Jacob Smith.

Meanwhile, the prelims feature “Reug Reug,” aka [autotag]Oumar Kane[/autotag] (2-0), the massive Senegalese wrestling standout who kicked his career off under the ARES FC banner before transitioning to ONE earlier this year, picking up a TKO win over Alain Ngalani. Kane’s next challenge comes in the form of Iranian heavyweight [autotag]Mehdi Barghi[/autotag] (4-3) and streams live on B/R Live.

The complete ONE on TNT 1 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (TNT, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson – for flyweight title
  • Eddie Alvarez vs. Iuri Lapicus
  • Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Jacob Smith (muay Thai)

PRELIMINARY CARD (B/R Live, 8:30 p.m. ET)

  • Tyler McGuire vs. Raimond Magomedaliev
  • Rade Opacic vs. Patrick Schmid (kickboxing)
  • Mehdi Barghi vs. Oumar Kane

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ONE Championship 127 video: Check out the best of the action from Singapore

Recap the best of the action from ONE Championship 127 at Singapore Indoor Stadium, including Mauro Cerilli’s victory over Abdulbasir Vagabov.

Asia’s leading mixed martial arts organization was back in action Friday as “ONE Championship 127: Unbreakable II” delivered a feast of finishes at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

All six fights – five MMA bouts and one kickboxing match – delivered finishes, with former Cage Warriors heavyweight champion [autotag]Mauro Cerilli[/autotag] scoring a second-round TKO in the night’s main event.

Italy’s Cerilli finished previously-undefeated [autotag]Abdulbasir Vagabov[/autotag] with a thumping leg kick, followed by a flurry of punches, to cap off a night that delivered plenty of highlights.

The co-main event saw [autotag]Daichi Takenaka[/autotag] submit Brazilian flyweight [autotag]Ivanildo Delfino[/autotag], while South Korea’s [autotag]Won Il Kwon[/autotag] added another win to his record with a crushing body-shot knockout of China’s [autotag]Rui Chen[/autotag].

The opening bout of the night saw the eagerly anticipated ONE debut of Senegalese wrestler [autotag]Oumar Kane[/autotag], and the man known as “Reug Reug” marked the occasion with a first-round finish as he TKO’d Hong Kong striking specialist [autotag]Alain Ngalani[/autotag] in their heavyweight showcase.

But the best finish of the night undoubtedly came in the lone kickboxing clash on the card, as Russian light heavyweight contender [autotag]Beybulat Isaev[/autotag] folded up [autotag]Mihajlo Kecojevic[/autotag] with a sledgehammer right hook in their ONE Super Series bout.

Check out the best of the action via the highlight video above.

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ONE Championship 127: Mauro Cerilli bounces back with TKO victory in Singapore

Italian heavyweight contender Mauro Cerilli bounced back into the win column with a second-round finish at ONE Championship 127.

Former Cage Warriors heavyweight champion [autotag]Mauro Cerilli[/autotag] bounced back into the win column in the main event of ONE Championship 127 in Singapore to move one step closer to a heavyweight title rematch with Brandon Vera.

Cerilli lost out to Vera via first-round knockout in his first title challenge back at ONE Championship 85 in November 2018. He bounced back with a victory over Alain Ngalani, but fell to another defeat as he was outpointed by Arjan Bhullar at “ONE Championship: Century – Part 2” in October 2019.

But, after taking more than a year away from the cage, “The Hammer” returned in fine form to snap [autotag]Abdulbasir Vagabov[/autotag]’s 10-fight winning streak and push himself back into the heavyweight title conversation.

Vagabov pushed the pace from the opening bell as he chased the backpedaling Cerilli around the cage, with the Italian throwing the occasional one-two combination to give the Russian contender a moment’s pause.

Vagabov continued his forward pressure, but Cerilli ensured that the Russian’s winging punches connected with nothing but air as he kept out of punching range, then connected with occasional counter-strikes of his own. After struggling to make an impact with his strikes, Vagabov then turned to his wrestling, but his takedown attempts late in the round were well defended by the big Italian.

After a frustrating first round, Vagabov started Round 2 noticeably slower and Cerilli took full advantage in the opening seconds as he stepped into range and slammed a powerful kick to the Vagabov’s left hamstring. The impact of the shot forced the Russian down to his hands and knees and Cerilli moved in and unloaded a trio of clean left hands to his grounded opponent before referee Olivier Coste dived in to stop the bout at the 26-second mark.

Senegalese powerhouse ‘Reug Reug’ brings the muscles to Brussels for ARES FC 2

Senegalese heavyweight Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane is back, and he’s looking to hand an undefeated Russian prospect the first loss of his career at ARES FC 2.

Senegalese heavyweight wrecker [autotag]Oumar Kane[/autotag] – better known by his fighting nickname, “Reug Reug” – is back, and he has his sights set on an undefeated Russian.

Kane (1-0) kicked off his professional MMA career in spectacular fashion at ARES 1 as he threw his opponent Sofiane Boukichou around the cage before finishing his man via TKO early in the second round.

Now “Reug Reug” is ready to return, and the 27-year-old powerhouse will take on undefeated opposition in the form of Russian heavyweight [autotag]Ivan Romanov[/autotag] at ARES 2 at the Forest National-Vorst Nationaal arena in Brussels, Belgium on April 3.

Romanov (5-0) picked up a hat-trick of victories in 2019, but his fight with Kane represents his first against an opponent with a winning record. There’s a fair chance it’ll be the first time he’s faced a man with the sort of wrestling power “Reug Reug” possesses, too.

The two heavyweights will go toe-to-toe in Brussels on a card that features a clutch of familiar names to hardcore MMA fans.

Belgian middleweight favorite [autotag]Maaren Wouters[/autotag] (11-7) will take on French UFC veteran [autotag]Nordine Taleb[/autotag] (15-7), while former UFC flyweight title challenger [autotag]John Moraga[/autotag] (19-7) takes on another former UFC athlete, [autotag]Hector Sandoval[/autotag] (15-4).

Also added to the card is another former UFC athlete, heavyweight [autotag]Luis Henrique[/autotag] (12-6), who will look to bounce back into the win column after his split-decision loss to KSW heavyweight champion Phil De Fries in September 2019. The Brazilian will take on Lithuanian [autotag]Teodoras Aukstuolis[/autotag] (11-5).

But, despite the pedigree of the fighters being added to the card, there’s a fair chance the fight that will garner the most interest is the one featuring the hulking 1-0 man-mountain from Dakar.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Video: Huge Senegalese wrestler ‘Reug Reug’ sends opponent airborne in impressive debut

Oh my.

First impressions are important, especially in the sport of mixed martial arts.

This weekend, Senegalese wrestler [autotag]Oumar Kane[/autotag] made a statement in his professional MMA debut at ARES 1, which streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Kane (1-0), better known as “Reug Reug,” had never competed in MMA before, but his skills seemed to translate well in his inaugural outing. Standing at a bulky 6-foot-4, Kane was agile and displayed good cardio for as long as the bout lasted.

Taking on a veteran of 10 fights in France’s [autotag]Sofiane, Kane tossed his fellow big man to the mat like a WWE-style bodyslam, which you can check out below:

When Boukichou threatened with a Kimura off of his back, Kane escaped in unorthodox, but effective fashion, lifting Boukichou off the ground and slamming 6-3, 233 pounder to the canvas to break the hold. Check this out:

A gritty opponent, Boukichou was able to make it out of the first round. However, his luck would run out in Round 2, when he was met by a bull-rushing Kane.

Not letting his opponent off the hook, Kane chased Boukichou around the cage until he finally was able to finish the Frenchman with punches at the 1:20 mark of the second.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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