ONE Championship has confirmed the main event for The Inner Circle on Friday, May 15. Reigning ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane will make his first title defense against former three-division king Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin, streaming live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Their first fight at ONE 169 in November 2024 was one of the most significant heavyweight bouts in ONE Championship history. Malykhin entered as the first three-division MMA World Champion in ONE history and had never lost a professional fight.

Kane fights out of Dubai and draws on his Senegalese Lutte wrestling background. He disrupted the Russian’s rhythm across five rounds and earned a hard-fought split decision. He handed Malykhin his first career defeat and becoming the first African-born ONE World Champion.

The rematch was originally booked for ONE 173 in November 2025. However, Kane was forced to withdraw after a serious car accident in the United Arab Emirates. Six months later, the fight is finally rebooked and the unfinished business between two of the most physically imposing fighters in the sport is ready to be settled.

Malykhin arrives with the clearest motivation of his career at The Inner Circle on May 15

Anatoly Malykhin remains the ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight MMA World Champion. But the heavyweight belt is the one that defines the chapter he is in now.

The sole blemish on a career otherwise defined by devastating early stoppages, the loss to Kane has sharpened his focus and fuelled every training session since.

Kane arrives with everything to prove as well. His first title defence arrives after months of patience following the car accident, and he enters Lumpinee Stadium on May 15 with the belt, the momentum of a historic win, and the motivation of a new father determined to hold onto everything he has built.

Two heavyweights. One rematch. One belt. May 15 settles it.