ONE Championship (ONE), the world’s largest martial arts organization, today announced that a rematch between reigning ONE Middleweight MMA World Champion Reinier de Ridder (16-1) of the Netherlands and ONE Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin (13-0) of Russia will headline ONE 166: Qatar, presented by Visit Qatar and taking place at the Lusail Sports Arena on Friday, March 1.
Tickets for ONE 166: Qatar are on sale now at the Virgin Megastore and Q-Tickets.
Last December at ONE Fight Night 5, Malykhin – already the ONE Interim Heavyweight MMA World Champion – handed De Ridder the only loss of his career to claim the light heavyweight crown.
In the process, the undefeated Russian became a two-division World Champion in ONE, a feat only a handful of athletes have achieved. Now, “Sladkiy” looks to make history and become a ONE MMA World Champion across three different divisions.
On the other side, “The Dutch Knight” will look to even the score with Malykhin on the biggest stage possible. Prior to suffering his first-ever defeat, the submission specialist had rattled off seven straight wins in ONE, including five via finish, to become a two-division World Champion in his own right.
ONE 166: Qatar features another highly anticipated World Championship rematch, as reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks of the U.S. defends his title against the Philippines’ Joshua Pacio. Also on the card is a clash of heavyweight MMA contenders, as Iranian juggernaut Amir Aliakbari takes on former ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion Arjan Bhullar of India. Plus, former ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title challengers will collide, as Yemeni-Saudi BJJ black belt Osamah Almarwai takes on former IBJJF World Champion Cleber Sousa of Brazil.
As a part of grassroots efforts to develop martial arts talent in the region, ONE will also host a Road to ONE submission grappling tournament in the lead-up to ONE 166: Qatar during fight week. More bouts for ONE 166: Qatar and the Road to ONE tournament will be announced in the coming weeks.
ONE 166: Qatar will be broadcast in the Middle East region on beIN SPORTS. Details on how to watch the global broadcast, which can be viewed in over 190 countries, will be announced at a later date.
Official partners for ONE 166: Qatar include presenting partner Visit Qatar, media partner Media City Qatar, and Ooredoo.
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