ONE In The Media

ONE 166 Rocks Lusail Sports Arena As Malykhin Makes History

The Lusail Sports Arena was electrified as ONE Championship made its much-anticipated debut in the Middle East with ONE 166: Qatar.

Fans were treated to a night of unparalleled martial arts action, featuring ten bouts that pitted the organization’s top fighters against each other in a series of thrilling matchups on Friday.

‘Most Dangerous Guy On The Planet’ – UFC Champ Islam Makhachev Puts Anatoly Malykhin Above Everyone Else

Three-division World Champion Anatoly Malykhin can easily say he’s on top of the world, and a fellow Russian superstar can attest to that.

Islam Makhachev, the reigning UFC Lightweight World Champion, said the ONE Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight MMA World Champion belongs on a tier all to himself.

Algerian Muay Thai Veteran Mehdi Zatout Comes Out Of Retirement To Win Boxing Debut At ONE 166

Two years ago, former ISKA and WBC Muay Thai World Champion Mehdi Zatout stood inside the ONE Circle with his family as tears streamed down his face. He had just been awarded a $50,000 bonus for scoring a knockout in what would be the last fight of his decorated Muay Thai career.

Fast-forward to ONE 166 in Qatar, where the 40-year-old was presented with an opportunity he couldn’t refuse – coming out of retirement to make his boxing debut against the undefeated Zuhayr Al-Qahtani.

Anatoly Malykhin Stops Reinier De Ridder To Become 3-Division Champion

Anatoly Malykhin became the first athlete to hold belts in three divisions simultaneously in a major MMA organization after forcing Reinier de Ridder to quit in the third round at Friday’s ONE Championship 166 event in Qatar.

Malykhin Completes Title Hat-Trick, China’s Tang Downs Le, Brooks DQ Hands Pacio Belt

ONE Championship got everything it could have asked for in Qatar on Friday, from scintillating knock outs, to historic wins and controversial finishes. The promotion’s trip to the Middle East for ONE 166 will keep fight fans talking for days, and the co-main events more than delivered on all that had been promised.

Anatoly Malykhin Reigns As Historic Three-Division Champion At ONE 166

Anatoly Malykhin will go down in history as the first three-division titleholder in a major promotion after recording a third-round technical knockout over ONE Championship middleweight boss Reinier de Ridder in the ONE 166 headliner on Friday at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. It ended 1:16 into Round 3.

ONE Championship News: Anatoly Malykhin Crowned First-Ever Triple-Champ At ONE 166

Anatoly Malykhin made history by becoming a three-division champion when he headlined ONE Championship 166 opposite Reinier de Ridder.

ONE 166 Qatar: Amir Aliakbari Impresses On Otherwise Tough Night For Middle East Fighters

In front of a vociferous crowd at the Lusail Sports Arena, Aliakbari always looked in control against Arjan Bhullar – and picked up a disqualification win thanks to the Indian’s unwillingness to fully engage.

Heavyweight Aliakbari was heading towards a relatively comfortable unanimous decision win, but referee Herb Dean called a stop to proceedings a minute before the end of the final round.

Chatri Sityodtong On ONE 166 & ONE Championship’s Return To The United States

ONE 166: Qatar takes place this Friday, and it is the first ONE numbered event for Prime members in the United States and Canada. The card, headlined by Anatoly Malykhin challenging Reinier de Ridder for the ONE Middleweight MMA title, will air live beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET.

“This is the beginning of really big things between Qatar and ONE,” said ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong. “There’s a great alignment of vision and values. And we have three world championship rematches that are going to deliver.”

Reinier De Ridder Looks To Redeem Himself Using His Weaknesses

Dutch mixed martial artist, Reinier de Ridder has won two silver medals in the European Championships during his career and also held two titles at the same time in ONE Championship after capturing the ONE Middleweight MMA title as well as the light heavyweight belt. Now, the man they call “The Dutch Knight” is facing the most difficult phase of his career.

Morocco’s Zakari El Jamari Excited, ‘Proud’ To Compete At ONE 166

Zakari El Jamari is just days away from making his debut in the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization. As he trains in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, ahead of his first ONE Championship fight, he is buzzing with excitement.

“I’m so happy and excited to be going to ONE 166. It means a lot to me because it’s a big fight event in an Arab country. I’m so proud to have joined ONE, it’s every fighter’s dream.”

Video: Press Conference Gets Heated Ahead Of Historic ONE 166: Qatar Showdown

We are less than two days away from the historic ONE 166: Qatar event and the fight week festivities are turning the anticipation levels up even higher.

This Friday at the Lusail Sports Arena we will see an incredible three title fights, and a loaded card featuring some of the best martial arts talent both regionally and globally. As we step closer to the opening bell, the fighters were able to do some verbal sparring on Tuesday as the official press conference took place.