After defeating Reinier de Ridder on Friday to win the ONE Middleweight MMA World Championship and becoming the first person in the history of the sport to capture world titles in three different weight classes, Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin of Russia fulfilled his pledge to make MMA history.
The highly anticipated battle, which was ONE Championship’s historic on-ground debut in Qatar, was a rematch of the two fighters’ December 2022 encounter, in which Malykhin defeated the Dutchman to win the light heavyweight title.
The two fighters had been at odds for more than a year, and it was evident that there was tension in the crowded Lusail Sports Arena.
De Ridder displayed some of his new techniques in the first few minutes of the fight, even down “Sladkiy” with a spectacular jab.
Malykhin, however, showed no fear in pushing forward behind powerful boxing combinations, even in spite of the Dutchman’s superior hitting. The Russian repeatedly pressed his opponent up against the Circle Wall, unleashing powerful strikes to the head and torso.
In the second frame, Malykhin persisted in pushing forward. Although “The Dutch Knight” made considerable strides, he lacked the strength to complete any takedowns.
By the beginning of the third stanza, De Ridder was clearly worn out. Feeling blood, “Sladkiy” delivered more powerful blows to the body.
Finally trying to get Malykhin to submit, “De Ridder pulled Malykhin into his guard.” But he got away fast and was on his feet again. At 1:16 of round three, referee Herb Dean gave De Ridder instructions to stand up, but when he was unable to do so, the official bout was called off.
The 36-year-old Russian superstar has added the ONE Middleweight MMA World Title to his trophy cabinet, which also has the organization’s heavyweight and light heavyweight belts. He is already a historic three-division MMA World Champion.
Malykhin further cemented his place among the top MMA fighters by enhancing his perfect career record to 14-0 and keeping his 100% finishing percentage.
Nine more martial arts matches, including MMA, Muay Thai, submission grappling, and even a boxing battle for good measure, were included in ONE Championship’s inaugural event in Qatar.
In their featherweight title unification match, Tang Kai and Thanh Le left no room for debate. The Chinese celebrity took his time to assess his American opponent before making his move.
Tang floored Thanh with a clean right hand after baiting him and waiting for a reaction. The bout was stopped after some ground and pound, and Tang had once again achieved a fantastic finish to reclaim the title.
In the meanwhile, Joshua Pacio won back the World Championship in ONE Strawweight MMA. Pacio had Jarred Brooks on his back and made a kimura threat. Just 56 seconds into the bout, Brooks kicked Pacio on the mat in defense of the submission, which resulted in a disqualification.
Mehdi Zatout easily won a unanimous decision after a three-round boxing match against Zuhayr Al Qahtani, making his comeback appear effortless. Throughout their fight, Zatout was precise and fast, denying his opponent any rhythm.
After a high-stakes flyweight submission grappling match against Osamah Almarwai, Cleber Sousa returned to winning ways. As he pursued early finishes, the Brazilian picked up speed and ultimately ended up with an inverted triangle-armbar.
In his Muay Thai bout, Ali Saldoev made a comeback to win by second-round knockout. Following a hit to the body that caused Zakaria El Jamari’s hands to drop, Saldoev scored the final strike of the fight with a flush to the head.
Keito Yamakita handled business over Jeremy Miado, setting a solid tone for the event’s opening. The talented Japanese fighter put a bulldog grip on Miado’s neck as soon as they both hit the mat.
‘The Jaguar’ tried to get away, but in the end, he gave up.
ONE 166: QATAR RESULTS
* Anatoly Malykhin defeated Reinier de Ridder by TKO at 1:16 of the third round
* Tang Kai defeated Thanh Le by TKO at 4:48 of the third round
* Joshua Pacio defeated Jarred Brooks by disqualification at 0:56 of the first round
* Amir Aliakbari defeated Arjan Bhullar by disqualification at 4:15 of the third round
* Mehdi Zatout defeated Zuhayr Al Qahtani by unanimous decision
* Vladimir Kuzmin defeated Zafer Sayik by unanimous decision
* Cleber Sousa defeated Osamah Almarwai via submission (armbar) at 5:31 of the first round
* Ali Saldoev defeated Zakaria El Jamari by KO at 0:51 of the second round
* Shinji Suzuki defeated Han Zi Hao by unanimous decision
* Keito Yamakita defeated Jeremy Miado via submission (bulldog choke) at 4:04 of the first round
