Everything you need to know about the martial arts extravaganza ONE 166: Qatar

Leena Chung

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Everything you need to know about the martial arts extravaganza ONE 166 Qatar

ONE Championship will make its long-awaited return to the Middle East on Friday, March 1.

The world’s largest martial arts organization is set for a historic debut in Qatar with a stacked fight card that’s headlined by a trio of MMA World Title bouts.

ONE 166: Qatar, presented by Visit Qatar, promises to be an action-packed martial arts spectacle at the Lusail Sports Arena. Here’s everything you need to know about the highly anticipated event.

Introducing ONE Championship

ONE166 Qatar Championship — Image credit: ONE Championship

ONE Championship is the world’s largest martial arts organization, founded in 2011 in Singapore. ONE’s ethos is built on core martial arts values like respect, courage, integrity, humility, and compassion.

The Home of Martial Arts has experienced remarkable growth throughout its history, starting as a regional sports property in its formative years before blossoming into Asia’s first truly global sports property.

ONE's 60 annual combat sports events are now aired in more than 190 countries worldwide via some of the largest broadcasters across the globe, including beIN Sports in the Middle East, with its social media follower base at over 80 million worldwide.

Through its live shows and shoulder programming, ONE seeks to create a platform for martial artists to become role models who empower people with hope, strength, and inspiration to overcome adversity in their lives.

Why are fans excited for ONE’s debut in Qatar?

ONE Championship planted its roots in Asia and more recently found success in North America and Europe, but it hasn’t been seen on Middle Eastern soil since a Dubai event way back in 2014.

ONE 166: Qatar will now mark the organization’s long-awaited debut in Qatar and the promotion’s historic return to the region.

When fight night arrives, ONE’s world-class production value will be on display, along with its unique blend of combat sports that sets it apart from other MMA-only promotion like UFC.

ONE 166: Qatar will showcase the world’s best athletes from mixed martial arts (MMA), Muay Thai, submission grappling, and boxing. And with two-thirds of its fights ending in a finish, ONE provides sports entertainment like no other.

Who is headlining ONE 166: Qatar?

The blockbuster ONE 166: Qatar fight card is topped by three World Title rematches, headlined by a highly anticipated battle between ONE Middleweight MMA World Champion Reinier de Ridder and two-division ONE World Champion Anatoly Malykhin.

The pair previously clashed in 2022, as Malykhin claimed the ONE Light Heavyweight MMA World Title with a first-round knockout of “The Dutch Knight”, who was previously undefeated.

Now, Malykhin will look to become the first athlete in history to hold MMA World Titles in three divisions when he challenges for De Ridder’s middleweight gold.

In the co-main event, ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks will defend his crown against the man he dethroned in 2022 – Filipino fan favorite Joshua “The Passion” Pacio. Their first fight ended with a unanimous decision for the American star, and the rematch promises fireworks once again.

Also on the card, the undisputed ONE Featherweight MMA World Title will be on the line, as China’s Tang Kai makes his highly anticipated return from injury in a World Title unification showdown with interim titleholder Thanh Le. The first leg of their rivalry saw Tang earn a tight unanimous decision victory after five rounds of back-and-forth action. Now, the Vietnamese-American knockout artist will look to exact revenge.

The rest of the event will feature some of the world’s best fighters from the Middle East, including Iranian heavyweight MMA contender Amir Aliakbari, Yemeni-Saudi grappler Osamah Almarwai, and debuting Saudi boxer Zuhayr Al-Qahtani.