Buchecha Breaks Down Reug Reug’s Strengths Ahead of Their Matchup at ONE Fight Night 13

The world-renowned Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, will soon play host to an intriguing MMA matchup between two of the sport’s most devastating ground fighters.

On August 4, at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian on Prime Video, 17-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida will square off with Senegalese wrestling sensation “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane.

Marcus Almeida’s upcoming war with a grappling specialist

Airing live in North American prime time, that heavyweight showdown could produce the division’s next World Title challenger. Undefeated with a 100 percent first-round finishing rate, “Buchecha” is living up to the significant amount of hype he brought with him from the grappling world. He’ll come into this clash with “Reug Reug” following the biggest win of his career–a lightning-fast submission victory over former ONE Interim Heavyweight World Title challenger Kirill Grishenko.

Kane has also battled Grishenko, suffering his lone career defeat back in April 2021. Looking back on that fight, Almeida observed that when facing another grappling specialist, “Reug Reug” chose to duke it out on the feet: “‘Reug Reug’ is a very tough guy. He comes from a good sequence of victories. His last defeat was against Kirill Grishenko, whom I beat in my last fight. It was a very tough fight between them, two wrestlers, so the fight ended up being a stand-up fight.”

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But since that loss, the Senegalese behemoth has bounced back in a big way, reeling off a pair of impressive wins while showcasing an ever-evolving striking game and improved game planning. “Buchecha” has paid close attention to his opponent’s evolution into a well-rounded mixed martial artist. And while the BJJ black belt would certainly welcome a submission battle on the canvas, he expects Kane to try to keep the fight standing where he can unleash his devastatingly powerful punches.

Buchecha is expecting takedowns from Reug Reug

Essentially, Almeida expects his foe to use his top-tier wrestling in reverse, relying on impenetrable takedown defense to force a striking match.

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“Buchecha” added: “Reug Reug’ is a guy who comes from grappling. He has a very good foundation, so I think he’ll try to exploit that to keep the fight on its feet. He’s definitely been training a lot on takedown defense and striking. I think those are his strong points.”