5 Things You Might Not Know about Oumar Kane

One Championship believes it has something special on its hands in Oumar Kane.

The undefeated Senaglese prospect will attempt to move his record to 4-0 when he faces Kirill Grishenko in a One on TNT 4 heavyweight showcase on Wednesday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The 29-year-old Kane last appeared on April 7, when he cut down Patrick Schmid with punches in the first round of their One on TNT 1 heavyweight showcase. Schmid succumbed to strikes 1:48 into Round 1.

As Kane prepares for his latest test, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. His were humble beginnings.

Kane was born on March 14, 1992 in Thiaroye sur Mer, Senegal—a small fishing village of some 37,000 people on the fringes of the West African nation’s capital of Dakar. The town made global headlines in 2008, when an outbreak of lead intoxication resulted in the deaths of at least 18 children. Used lead-acid batteries were later found to be the culprit.

2. He draws his talents from a unique background.

“Reug Reug” owes his skills to lutte avec frappe, a traditional form of wrestling in Senegal that involves clinches, takedowns, throws and blows to the head. Matches take place on sand inside an arena. Kane left home as a teenager to train, returned at the age of 20 and became a national hero through his competitive exploits in Stade Demba Diop—a multi-use stadium in Dakar that seats 20,000 people.

3. He has only begun to scratch the surface on his talent.

Kane turned his attention to MMA after dominating the wrestling scene in Senegal. He has been a professional mixed martial artist for a little more than two years, having made his debut at an Ares Fighting Championship event in his native Senegal on Dec. 14, 2019. Kane took care of Cage Warriors Fighting Championship veteran Sofiane Boukichou with punches 80 seconds into the second round of their AFC 1 encounter.

4. Early returns have been eye opening.

The hulking 6-foot-4, 265-pound Kane has dispatched his first three opponents, all by technical knockout, in a grand total of 12:40—the equivalent of two and a half rounds.

5. Fortitude appears to be a strength.

“Reug Reug” accepted his first One Championship bout opposite Alan Ngalani despite being less than 100%. Kane entered the cage with an arm injury and proceeded to dismiss Ngalani with punches 4:32 into the first round of their One Championship “Unbreakable 2” pairing on Jan. 29, 2021.