Anatoly Malykhin will try to regain one heavyweight title when he faces Oumar’s “Reug Reug” Kane in a rematch in the joint main event at 173, which set up Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Sunday, November 16th.
One Championship official confirmed the news of the MMA Fighting on Monday.
The heavyweight is scheduled for a second clash after “Reug Reug” elicited a massive upset in November 2024, winning the title when they first met Malikin.
The victory improved “Reug Reug” to 7-1, but he hasn’t fought since becoming champion.
Now, the 33-year-old Senegal heavyweight is set to run it back with Malikin almost a year after his first encounter.
Before his set-off in the first battle, Malikin was widely regarded as one of the two best heavyweights in the world outside of the UFC. He is an honor he shared with Francis Ngannow.
His undefeated running included one championship, including the only fighter to beat current UFC middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder, while winning titles in two more weight classes.
Malykhin defeated De Ridder twice with two knockouts between 2022 and 2024.
Now, while Malikin has to try to correct the mistake in his first fight, “Reug Reug” will try to solidify his position as champion in a rematch scheduled for November.
The main event of 173 is a featherweight kickboxing title unified match as current champion Super Bon defends his belt against interim champion Masaki Noiri.