Wild style vs. style fight at ONE on 3/28

Mixed Martial Arts was born on Nov 12, 1993. it was a successful effort to determine what martial arts was most effective in one on one unarmed combat. Since then a universal body of knowledge has developed that all successful fighters possess. However, many fighters still retain a distinctive style of play based on their original art – think Stephen Thompson vs. Ben Askren.

The wildest style vs. style fight of the new year is happening on March 28, as Marcus Almeida makes his MMA debut vs. 1-0 Oumar Kane. PRIDE FC often fixated on freakshow fights featuring athletes with remarkably different bodies. This is a style vs. style freakshow, and it’s awesome. They say the rules and the uniforms may change, but it’s all wrestling. The rules and uniforms these two grew up with are really different though, adding a wild element to the fight.

“Buchecha” has won more world BJJ championships than anyone in history, with 13. The 30-year-old has also won the ADCCs twice.

Reug Reug is a top exponent of a traditional form of wrestling practiced widely across West Africa, that has been modified and organized in his home nation Senegal to include striking, and is referred to simply as Lutte Avec Frappe (French for wrestling with strikes; Senegal is a former French colony and language is widely spoken there.) Under wrestling with strikes rules, “Reug Reug” is undefeated.

Reug Reug has had one MMA fight to date, a TKO win in Round 2 vs. Sofiane Boukichou (6-3) at ARES FC 1 on December 14, 2019. Boukichou attempted a Kimura on Kane, who reacted by doing this:

That defensive technique is not – at all – likely to work on a Jiu-Jitsu player at Buchecha’s towering level. However, “Reug Reug” weighs in at 265 pounds, loves to strike, and as Carlson Gracie Sr famously remarked, punch a black belt in the face, he becomes a brown belt. Punch him again, purple. It will probably take a good few shots to reduce “Buchecha” to a purple belt, but “Reug Reug” will be looking to land a good few shots on his 220-pound opponent.

Call it UG, who wins and how?

Also, “Buchecha” means big cheeks. Free blue name for anyone who knows what “Reug Reug” means.

Inaugural UFC flyweight champion at GOAT candidate Demetrious Johnson challenges ONE flyweight champ Adriano Moraes in the main event.