The pivotal showdown between surging heavyweight contenders Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida and “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane has been two and a half years in the making.
This Friday, at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian on Prime Video, the two behemoths will finally lock horns, live in North American primetime from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
A log awaited clash of “Buchecha” and “Reug Reug”
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“Buchecha” was originally slated to square off with the Senegalese wrestling superstar for his promotional debut back in 2021, but “Reug Reug” was forced to withdraw due to injury. The fight was booked again, but Kane again withdrew.Understandably, Almeida was frustrated with his foe’s inability to show up on fight night.He said: “The fight was canceled twice. I had the contract signed, but unfortunately, it ended up not happening.”
The Brazilian knows this is a matchup that fans have been clamoring for.A 17-time BJJ World Champion, the undefeated “Buchecha” is the most accomplished grappler competing in mixed martial arts today, and he knows that, with a win over a dangerous contender like “Reug Reug,” he could earn a crack at heavyweight king Anatoly Malykhin. Kane, meanwhile, possesses the top-tier wrestling skills and unmatched physicality to give the BJJ black belt plenty of problems.
Almeida believes that the third time will be the charm and he’ll actually get his hands on the man from Senegal this Friday. But even if “Reug Reug” is forced to pull out yet again, “Buchecha” says he’s ready for any late-notice replacement who might be thrown his way: “I believe that this time the fight will really happen. But if it doesn’t happen, I’ll be prepared to fight anyone. On August 4, I will be ready, whether it’s ‘Reug Reug’ or another opponent.”
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Buchecha is prepared for any uncertainity
In short, the BJJ icon is heading into ONE Fight Night 13 with no expectations. Because if, for some reason, Kane is unable to compete, “Buchecha” wants to be mentally prepared to battle whomever is in front of him that night as he looks to extend his first-round finishing streak to five straight fights.
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Almeida added:“If something changes, I won’t be frustrated this time. The other times I got frustrated, but I learned some lessons from these opponent changes and nothing will faze me.”
ONE Fight Night 13 will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an Amazon subscription.