Three Bouts Added to ONE Championship’s Qatar Debut in March

Three fights have been announced for ONE 166: Qatar! 🇶🇦 Who would you like to see headline this historic card?#ONE166 | March 1 at 3:30PM AST
🎟️ Early bird tickets:https://t.co/Wcx1ykvL1Jhttps://t.co/9mAnyrbScE
🌍 Live TV broadcast in 190+ countries
👨‍💻 How to watch coming… pic.twitter.com/mDoaoDbzgQ

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 18, 2023

Three bouts, including a title fight, have been confirmed for ONE 166 “Qatar,” which also marks the promotion’s debut in the country.

Jarred Brooks (20-2) is set to defend his 125-pound strap against former champ Joshua Pacio (20-4) in a title rematch at ONE 166 on March 1 at Lusail Sports Arena. Brooks hasn’t competed in mixed martial arts since dethroning Pacio via decision at ONE 164 in December 2022. “The Monkey God” is coming off a submission loss against Mikey Musumeci in a grappling match this past August. Meanwhile, his upcoming opponent returned to the win column with a decision win over previously undefeated Mansur Malachiev in October.

ONE 166 will also include a clash of former heavyweight title challengers in Arjan Singh Bhullar (11-2) and Amir Aliakbari (13-3). A former champ, Bhullar returned to the cage in June after a two-year hiatus, suffering a TKO loss against reigning ace Anatoliy Malykhin. Meanwhile, Aliakbari is on a three-fight knockout streak which saw him bounce back from a failed championship bid against Malykhin in 2021.

A submission grappling flyweight matchup between former title challengers Osamah Almarwai and Cleber Sousa has also been added to the card. While both Saudi-Yemeni black belt Almarwai and former IBJJF champ Sousa are coming off losses to Musumeci, the Brazilian did manage to go the distance.

The promotion will also host a Road to ONE submission grappling tournament during fight week, with $100,000 contracts up for grabs across multiple weight divisions.