Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida
Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida prevails at ONE on Prime Video 1 ONE Championship

KEY POINTS

  • Marcus Almeida and Oumar Kane are headed to an explosive heavyweight showdown in August
  • This bout marks Kane's first fight since December 2022
  • Almeida will need to lean on his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pedigree to prevent a Kane upset

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans may know ONE Championship more for having standout fighters in the lighter weight classes due to the promotion being based in Asia, but they have since built an impressive roster of athletes which also features talented heavyweights.

At ONE Fight Night 13, first degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black-belter Marcus Almeida will be taking on the heavy-handed Oumar Kane.

This would not be the first time ONE Championship has scheduled this bout between behemoths since Almedia debuted at ONE: Revolution in September of 2021.

"Buchecha" and Kane were originally paired up for ONE 156 in April 2022 after Almeida pulling off back-to-back submission victories against Anderson Da Silva and notorious knockout artist Kang Ji Won–both happening in 2021.

However, the promotion announced on the week of the event that the fight had been moved to a later date, that being May 20.

In the lead-up to the bout, Kane was forced to withdraw from the anticipated clash after suffering an injury and was later replaced by Simon Carson who unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19, which pushed ONE Championship to scrap the bout altogether.

Almeida's bout against Carson would go on to happen at ONE 158 a month after its postponement, and it was here where fans caught a glimpse of the power that Almeida possessed in his hands as he earned a TKO victory in the first round.

The Sao Paulo, Brazil native has been viewed as one of the top acquisitions by ONE Championship thanks to his popularity in the submission grappling circuit, but he has been preparing for his transition to MMA since 2015.

As for "Reug-Reug," it will have been eight months since fans last saw him in the cage when he fought Jasur Mirzamukhamedov and won by unanimous decision on the undercard of ONE Fight Night 5 in December 2022.

ONE Fight Night 13 takes place on August 4 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The event will also feature Chingiz Allazov, who is set to defend the ONE featherweight kickboxing title opposite Marat Grigorian.

Oumar Kane, ONE Championship
ONE Championship heavyweight talent Oumar "Reug Reug" Kane. ONE Championship
Read more