ONE Championship (ONE), today announced three bouts for ONE 166: Qatar, the promotion’s debut in the country on Friday, March 1 at the Lusail Sports Arena.
ONE 166: Qatar Announcement
The first World Championship bout set for this historic card features a highly anticipated rematch for MMA gold as ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks of the U.S. defends his title against former World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines.
Reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks is ready to make his first World Title defense, and it comes against a familiar rival.
The American star will put his gold on the line against former strawweight MMA king and current #1-ranked contender Joshua “The Passion” Pacio in a must-see World Title rematch at ONE 166: Qatar.
That event, which marks ONE Championship’s on-ground debut in the Middle Eastern country, broadcasts live from Lusail Sports Arena on Friday, March 1.
Heavyweights Collide
ONE 166: Qatar will also showcase a clash of heavyweight contenders as red-hot Iranian star Amir Aliakbari — who is riding a three-fight, three knockout winning streak — takes on former ONE heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar of India. The event will also play host to a battle between former ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title challengers as Yemeni-Saudi BJJ black belt Osamah Almarwai takes on former IBJJF World Champion Cleber Sousa of Brazil.
Following a debut victory over Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli, Bhullar won the divisional gold from longstanding king Brandon “The Truth” Vera back in 2021, stopping the Filipino-American by TKO in the second round of their contest at ONE: DANGAL.
With injuries and other setbacks keeping the Canadian-Indian out of action, Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin won the ONE Interim Heavyweight MMA World Title in 2022. Malykhin then finished “Singh” via TKO to unify the crown and become the undisputed king at ONE Friday Fights 22 earlier this year.
However, Bhullar has promised to regroup and come back stronger – and he can begin his climb back toward the top on March 1.
Grapple Tournament
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 during the ONE 166: Qatar fight week.
Yemeni-Saudi Arabian sensation Osamah Almarwai will lock horns with Brazilian star Cleber “Clandestino” Sousa in a pivotal flyweight submission grappling showdown at the Lusail Sports Arena.
This will be the second appearance for both elite BJJ black belts in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Both lost their promotional debuts to pound-for-pound great and current ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci and now hope to earn another crack at the gold.
In addition to playing host to a pair of grappling super-fights, Qatar’s finest men’s and women’s grapplers will compete for US$100,000 contracts across multiple divisions as they attempt to realize their dream of competing on ONE Championship’s global stage.
How to Watch
Additional details on the ONE 166: Qatar fight card and the Road to ONE submission grappling tournament will be revealed in the coming weeks.
ONE 166: Qatar will be broadcast in the Middle East region on beIN Sports starting at 3:30pm AST. Details on how to watch the global broadcast, which can be viewed in over 190 countries worldwide, will be announced at a later date.
Some exciting news on the back of ONE recently announces their huge deal with SkySports.
Image Credit ONE Championship
