ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Kane Preview and Predictions

On Nov. 8, ONE Championship will showcase a stacked event, ONE 169, inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Friday’s action features three world title fights – Anatoly Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ Oumar Kane (heavyweight MMA), Rodtang vs. Jacob Smith (flyweight Muay Thai), and Jackie Buntan vs. Anissa Meksen (inaugural women’s strawweight kickboxing).

There haven’t been many fighters who have found more success in ONE Championship than Anatoly Malykhin. The three-division MMA world champion now looks to continue his reign of terror by taking out Senegalese powerhouse ‘Reug Reug’ in the ONE 169 main event.

As for the co-main event, Rodtang returns to potentially extend his flyweight Muay Thai title reign. ‘The Iron Man’ will face a familiar opponent, as Jacob Smith has received a rematch. They first fought in May 2022, with Rodtang securing a dominant unanimous decision win. However, Rodtang missed weight, and was stripped of his belt, so only Smith is eligible to win the title.

The final world title fight at ONE 169 features well-respected strikers Jackie Buntan and Anissa Meksen. Buntan is working on creating her legacy as a fighter, while Meksen is a former seven-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion who plans to claim her first ONE title.

ONE 169 airs live on Amazon Prime Video starting at 8 p.m. ET. Let’s take a look at the preview and predictions for the event.

Anatoly Malykhin puts his championship belt and undefeated record on the line against knockout artist Oumar Kane; which heavyweight behemoth will earn the victory?

Anatoly Malykhin has fought six times in ONE Championship, knocking out every opponent throughout three divisions (middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight). Malykhin is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with, and he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.

Malykhin’s upcoming challenge is heavyweight contender ‘Reug Reug’ Oumar Kane. The Senegalese fan favorite holds promotional records of 5-1 in MMA and 1-0 in kickboxing. Kane has somewhat improved in striking, but he needs to execute a wrestling-heavy game plan to find the most success.

‘Reug Reug’ has the power to potentially pull off an upset against Malykhin. With that said, the three-division world champion has more experience, better fundamental striking, and even has a wrestling background that he doesn’t receive enough credit for.

The ONE 169 main event is fun on paper, but Malykhin should secure a second-round knockout without absorbing much damage.

Rodtang is back in action taking on Jacob Smith with the flyweight Muay Thai title on the line; will the legend be able to retain his championship and add to his incredible resume?

To start, Rodtang missed weight and was dethroned, so only Jacob Smith is eligible to win the title.

Smith had to face one of the toughest ONE Championship debuts of all time – a flyweight Muay Thai world title bout against Rodtang. Things went how most people expected, as ‘The Iron Man’ battered the British challenger to a unanimous decision win.

Since then, Smith hasn’t necessarily evolved into a world-class fighter. In fact, he’s coming off a loss against Denis Puric, creating questions for why he deserves another Muay Thai title shot.

Anything can happen in a combat sports title fight. The honest truth is that Smith needs to catch Rodtang with a picture-perfect strike to secure a win. Fans should expect another one-sided beatdown that might go to the scorecards due to Smith’s toughness.

The ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship is currently vacant; how does the championship fight play out between Jackie Buntan and Anissa Meksen?

Jackie Buntan vs. Anissa Meksen features two female fighters who hope to capture their first ONE Championship world title. They will meet in the third to last fight at ONE 169, with the inaugural women’s strawweight kickboxing world title on the line.

Buntan will make her first promotional kickboxing appearance after establishing a 6-1 Muay Thai record. The 27-year-old might struggle in the transition, as ONE Championship uses small gloves for Muay Thai compared to bigger gloves for kickboxing.

Meanwhile, Meksen has plenty of kickboxing experience, including a five-round war with Phetjeeja that she lost last time out. ‘C18’ has the composure and striking fundamental needs to emerge victorious at ONE 169, but Buntan won’t go down without a fight.

Buntan and Meksen has the potential to be Fight of the Night on Friday. The world title matchup will likely go the distance, with Meksen edging out a unanimous decision.

Which fight is the sleeper matchup on this card?

The sleeper match at ONE 169 is a flyweight MMA bout between Adriano Moraes and Danny Kingad.

At ONE 168: Denver, the flyweight MMA division started a new chapter when Dementrious Johnson officially announced his retirement from the sport. Moraes and Kingad now look to secure a spot in the vacant title fight, which is expected to take place in the first half of 2025.

Moraes and Kingad have been with ONE Championship for many years. They also fought once before, with Moraes submitting Kingad in the first round of their November 2017 meeting. Both fighters know what’s at stake, potentially leading to an entertaining matchup later this week.