ONE Championship ONE Championship This coming Thursdaybg- bwenas gaming, February 20, Lusail Sports Arena will play host to ONE 171: Qatar – a blockbuster fight card that no martial arts fan will want to miss.
Featuring the planet’s most talented and entertaining fighters competing across various combat sports disciplines, the event has all the makings of an instant classic.
From the high-stakes World Title fights atop the lineup to epic rivalries and the next steps for young phenoms, ONE 171: Qatar has it all.
Before the stars of the show take to the Circle, we dive into five key reasons why this is a must-watch show.
#1 A World Title Trilogy Fight To Settle The ScoreIn the main event, reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio and interim titleholder Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks will throw down in the rubber match to unify the divisional belts.
The pair first collided in December 2022, when Brooks scored a sensational five-round decision win over the Filipino superstar to claim the undisputed strawweight MMA crown.
In their rematch last March at ONE 166, an illegal slam in the bout’s opening minute caused “The Monkey God” to lose his World Title via disqualification, evening the score and handing the gold back to Pacio.
While Pacio was then forced to the sidelines due to injury, the outspoken American bounced back to win the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Title, setting the stage for a trilogy fight of epic proportions.
Both men have exchanged heated words – as well as shows of respect – over the course of this entertaining rivalry, and it will finally come to a head at ONE 171: Qatar.
#2 A World Title Fight Between Top Pound-For-Pound StrikersTwo of the planet’s top pound-for-pound strikers will go toe-to-toe, as ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty puts his gold on the line against decorated Chinese hero “Demon Blade” Wei Rui.
Beloved for his ultra-aggressive style and savage finishing instincts, Haggerty is among the most popular combat sports athletes in the world.
The hard-hitting Brit will come into this bout following a shocking knockout loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9 last September that cost him the bantamweight Muay Thai belt – and he’s hungry to make a statement and return to his winning ways.
Wei, though, has proven to be a tricky puzzle to solve.
After an accomplished career outside of ONE that established him as one of China’s best-ever kickboxers, the 33-year-old lived up to the hype in his promotional debut, earning a decision win over former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto, extending his incredible winning streak to 21.
Now, these global megastars are set to put on a show for their legions of fans worldwide.
#3 The Final Chapter Of A Legendary MMA RivalryFormer 11-time ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes will compete one final time before concluding his lengthy and decorated career – and he’ll be fighting against his longest-standing rival.
Fernandes has collided with fellow former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon four times before, holding a 3-1 advantage over the Filipino icon. Each one of those bouts delivered entertainment.
A veteran of 15 thrilling fights in ONE dating back to 2012, “The Flash” has cemented himself as a bona fide international superstar while competing in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
He’ll now look to cap his illustrious career with another impressive performance against a man who always pushes him to the limit.
#4 Soldic Returns In Early Fight Of The Year CandidateAll-action Croatian brawler Roberto “Robocop” Soldic returns in search of his first promotional victory to take on perennial lightweight MMA contender Dagi Arslanaliev in a welterweight MMA showdown that many fans have already pegged as a Fight of the Year candidate.
Soldic arrived in ONE with plenty of hype behind him, having largely dominated the European scene while making a name for himself as one of the sport’s most entertaining fighters and a ruthless knockout artist.
But after a no contest and a stunning defeat through his first two appearances in ONE, his back is against the wall.
He’ll be facing a fellow brawler in Arslanaliev at ONE 171: Qatar.
Renowned for his well-rounded skill set and relentless pacing, the Turkish scrapper boasts eight wins in ONE and eight highlight-reel finishes, reaching the 2019 ONE Lightweight MMA World Grand Prix final along the way.
Simply put, fans should buckle up for white-knuckle action for as long as this bout lasts.
#5 Kade Ruotolo Looks To Stay Perfect In MMAAfter dominating the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for years, current ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo has been taking the MMA world by storm.
At ONE 171: Qatar, he’ll lace up the 4-ounce gloves for the third time and look to continue his unbeaten run.
Standing across from the Californian will be a fellow undefeated fighter, Argentina’s Nicolas Vigna.
Given his lengthy list of accomplishments in grappling – coupled with the fact that he’s scored electrifying finishes against top-flight competition in his first two MMA fights – Ruotolo looks to be a potential future ONE MMA World Champion.
If he can get past Vigna on Thursday, the 22-year-old phenom will have taken one massive step closer toward his ultimate goal of two-sport gold.
Meanwhile, South Korea were knocked out by the defending champions, India, with a 1-4 defeat in the semi-final. In their pool stage encounter, South Korea had previously played to a 2-2 draw against their next opponent, Pakistan.
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