On Thursday, ONE Championship unveiled its primary occasion for ONE 166: Qatar. A rematch between champions will cap off an enormous evening on the Lusail Sports activities Area. ONE Middleweight World Champion Reinier De Ridder will attempt to redeem himself towards ONE Heavyweight and Mild Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin.
The 2 first met at ONE Battle Evening 5 in December 2022. Malykhin steamrolled De Ridder for a first-round knockout victory to change into a two-division champion whereas he held the interim heavyweight crown. Six months later, he’d unify the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Championship to carry two undisputed titles concurrently.
Malykhin has been sensational since arriving in ONE. At ONE 166, he has the possibility to make historical past as the game’s first-ever three-division king. However dropping to middleweight will pose vital challenges that may very well be too tough to beat.
That’s what “The Dutch Knight” is hoping for as he needs to show himself towards the person who put the primary loss on his document. De Ridder has not competed in MMA since that bout, solely taking over Tye Ruotolo in a submission grappling bout at ONE Battle Evening 10. His return will probably be extra about redemption than it is going to be about defending the title.
A win for De Ridder would additionally strengthen his case as the most effective middleweight on this planet. Defeating Malykhin could be a staggering accomplishment in its personal proper. Nonetheless, “Sladkiy” has his eyes and coronary heart set on doing one thing no one else has ever completed and to change into often known as the most effective pound-for-pound juggernaut within the sport in the present day.
ONE 166 airs reside on Friday, March 1. Additionally on the cardboard, ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks battles Joshua Pacio in a high-stakes rematch. Extra bouts will probably be introduced within the following weeks.
