The ONE heavyweight MMA world champion has experienced many life-changing moments: rising from Senegal’s sandy wrestling arenas to global stardom, becoming the first African-born athlete to capture a ONE world title, dethroning the seemingly invincible Anatoly Malykhin. But nothing prepared him for the overwhelming joy and responsibility that comes with these simple words: “It’s a baby girl.”
“I’ve got a baby now, I’m a father. It’s a baby girl. I’m very happy now that I’m a father,” Kane said. “I said, ‘Thank you, God. You gave me a baby.’ I am very, very happy. I won [against Malykhin], and after that, I had a baby.”
The timing feels almost prophetic. Just months after making history by defeating Malykhin at ONE 169, Kane welcomed the most precious person in his life. For a man whose journey from poverty to championship gold already reads like a fairy tale, fatherhood represents yet another extraordinary chapter.
But this new chapter comes with its own battles. As Kane prepares for his first title defense against Malykhin at ONE 173: Superbon vs Noiri in Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on November 16, he finds himself fighting a different kind of war – one between duty as a champion and devotion as a father.
“It’s hard, as I train in Dubai. Being away from my family to chase greatness, I have so much to achieve with ONE Championship that I just have to juggle these elements of my life until the time is right to hang up the gloves,” Kane said.
The physical separation burns. While he pushes his body to its limits in Dubai’s training facilities, his heart remains thousands of miles away in Senegal. Every late-night training session, every grueling workout is now measured against missed bedtime stories and lullabies he can’t sing in person.
Yet this sacrifice has crystallized his purpose in ways that championship glory never could. Where once he fought for personal achievement and national pride, Kane now carries a deeper mission – one that will echo through generations.
“I want my daughter to know her dad is a warrior and one of the greatest combat sports athletes in history,” he declared.
The champion has always been driven, but fatherhood has shifted his perspective from achievement to legacy. Every rep in the gym now carries the weight of providing for his daughter’s future. Every sacrifice becomes an investment in the life he wants to give her – one far removed from the poverty that shaped his own childhood.
“If you know me, you know I train, eat, and sleep. This is my life. But now, providing for my daughter is even more important,” Kane explained. “We always want to give our kids the life we didn’t have, and I have built her a new house in the capital where she can grow up comfortably and happily.”
The house stands as a symbol of how far he’s traveled – not just geographically from Senegal’s wrestling pits to ONE Championship’s global stage, but emotionally from fighting for survival to fighting for legacy. It represents security, comfort, and opportunity – everything he lacked growing up.
As November 16 approaches and his first title defense looms, Kane faces Malykhin with more than just championship gold at stake. He’s fighting to prove that warriors aren’t just born from struggle, but that they can break cycles and build better futures for the next generation.
