The ONE Championship fan-favorite “Leug Leug” will again be competing for the heavyweight title in November.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Umar Cain (6-1 MMA, 0-0 boxing) has another fight lined up this year. On July 5 at ONE Fight Night 23, “Leug Leug” will face Senegal’s Boucher Ketchap under kickboxing rules. The two big men, who previously competed together as popular wrestlers, will battle it out over three, three-minute rounds at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. As first reported by Sportskeeda, the heavyweights squared off on Tuesday during a live broadcast on the wrestling show 221 Live.
This will be the kickboxing debut for the 32-year-old, a product of 971 MMA. “Leug Leug” entered MMA in 2019, defeating Sofiane Bukishoo early in the second round. This lone win earned him a spot on the ONE Championship roster, where he made a name for himself in 2021 with wins over Alan Ngalani and Patrick Schmidt. Despite losing to Kirill Grishenko three weeks after dominating Schmidt, Cain reeled off three straight wins to claim the gold medal. Most recently, the former wrestler defeated grappling star Marcus Almeida by unanimous decision. Regardless of the outcome of his bout with Ketchup, Cain will face Anatoly Malikin for the ONE Heavyweight MMA belt.
Like his opponent, this will be Ketchup’s first time in a kickboxing ring. Born in Dakar, Senegal, and now living in the Bronx, New York, the social media influencer is no stranger to martial arts. Like Kane, Ketchup started out in wrestling, the national sport of Senegal. In 2022, Ketchup faced a fighter named Diouf-Dioulou in amateur mixed martial arts and won by decision.
