ONE 166 ‘Qatar’ Play-by-Play, Updates & Results

MMA: Keito Yamakita (124) vs. Jeremy Miado (124.25)

Round 1

Strawweights kick off festivities, as Yamakita (8-1, 1-1 ONE) attempts to rebound from his first professional defeat in his second appearance of 2024. Miado (12-6, 6-6 ONE) finds himself on a two-fight losing streak. Herb Dean serves as the referee. Miado takes the center of the cage, looks to get his jab in gear and counters with a left hook. Yamakita at a clear height and reach disadvantage and sees his first takedown attempt denied. He shoots on a single-leg, pushes Miado to the fence and scoops his legs out from underneath him. Miado gets back to his feet, only to be dragged down from behind. Yamakita hunts the choke, as Dean warns Miado twice for grabbing the fence. Miado escapes to his feet midway through the round. The Filipino veteran fires straight punches down the middle, then misfires with a sweeping left hook. Yamakita scores another takedown with an ankle pick. He moves behind Miado, who touches of a scramble but leaves his neck exposed. Yamakita bites down on a bulldog choke, puts his feet on the cage for additional leverage and prompts the tapout.

The Official Result

Keito Yamakita def. Jeremy Miado—Submission (Bulldog Choke) 4:04 R1

Muay Thai: Shinji Suzuki (144) vs. Han Zi Hao (144.75)

Round 1

Bantamweight muay thai stylists are next to the stage, as Japan’s Suzuki takes on China’s Hao. Olivier Coste provides the law and order as the third man in the cage. They step forward, touch gloves and get busy. Suzuki fires low kicks at the start and pressures his counterpart onto the back foot. Hao circles on the outside but continues to eat leg kicks. A partially blocked head kick gets Hao’s offense going. Suzuki presses forward. Hao lands a left hook to the body, followed by a leg kick. Suzuki answers with a leg kick of his own. Hao shoots right hands to the body and head. Both men swing and miss wildly. Suzuki steps into a right hand upstairs and targets the lead leg once more. Hao finds a home for his right hand but eats a left hook in response.

Round 2

Suzuki picks up where he left off with a double jab and an inside leg kick. A left hook from Suzuki sits down Hao for the first knockdown of the fight. Hao looks to have his regained his faculties after the count. Suzuki pokes him with a jab and follows it with a cross over the top. Hao fires a jab to the body but allows himself to get drawn into the clinch, cutting off any follow-up attacks. Hao now bleeding from the mouth. Jab-jab-leg kick combo from Suzuki with 30 seconds left in the middle stanza. He separates, uncorks and one-two upstairs, then delivers a left hook to the body.

Round 3

Hao might need a stoppage here, as Round 3 gets underway. Suzuki connects with an inside leg kick and ducks return fire. He then snaps back Hao’s head with a counter right hand. Hao delivers a crisp left hook to the head. He now commands the center of the cage and starts to target the body with more ferocity. Damage starting to accumulate on Suzuki. Strong round from the Chinese standout. Hao steps forward with a jab-cross and again goes to the midsection. Suzuki tries to keep him at bay with leg kicks and body shots of his own. Less than a minute to go. Suzuki gets on his horse, and Hao gives chase. He scores with a right hand to the body before shooting punches upstairs. Suzuki retreats and lures Hao into the clinch as the bell sounds.

The Official Result

Shinji Suzuki def. Han Zi Hao—Unanimous Decision

Muay Thai: Zakaria El Jamari (133.25) vs. Ali Saldoev (137.75)

Round 1

A catchweight muay thai clash pitting Morocco’s El Jamari against Russia’s Saldoev keeps the ball rolling. Coste once again answers the call to officiate. A glove touch gets us started. Saldoev fires punches in bunches and steps into a knee. El Jamari looks to counter. He drops Saldoev with a right hand, then eats a flying knee after the count. Saldoev lands another knee and backs his opponent to the fence with punches. The Russian’s aggression appears to have caught El Jamari off-guard. El Jamari steps forward with hooks from both hands. Saldoev connects with another knee to the body. Saldoev continues to unleash punches in combination, two or three at a time. Saldoev floors El Jamari with a left hook at the end of the round.

Round 2

Wild shots from both men at the start of the middle stanza. Saldoev pumps out his jab and follows up with a body kick. He triples up left hands. One goes to the head, the second to the body, and a left hook puts El Jamari on the deck for a second time. This time, he does not answer the count.

The Official Result

Ali Saldoev def. Zakaria El Jamari—KO (Punch) 0:51 R2

Muay Thai: Zafer Sayik (147.5) vs. Vladimir Kuzmin (147.25)

Round 1

Action presses forward with another catchweight muay thai affair, as Turkey’s Sayik meets Russia’s Kuzmin at 147.75 pounds. Coste serves as the referee. They touch gloves, and off we go. Sayik narrowly misses a head kick but nevertheless announces his intents. Kuzmin tries a crescent kick. They exchange low kicks. Kuzmin switches stances routinely, looking to keep the Turkish taekwondo black belt off-guard. A clinch prompts a restart. Kuzmin steps forward with a push kick, then eats a left hook. Sayik hunts elbows over the top but finds no opening. They exchange as the round ends.

Round 2

Sayik looks to get his jab going, then doubles up on push kicks—one to the body and another to the head, drawing some oohs and aahs from the crowd. Kuzmin presses forward with kick-punch combinations, only to find his advances cut off in the clinch. Kuzmin follows a jab with a crushing right hand that sits down the Turk. He swarms with follow-up shots after the count. Another jab finds the mark. Sayik reeling a bit here. Kuzmin connects with a knee to the body, slips follow-up punches and scores with some return fire.

Round 3

The tide appears to have turned against Sayik entering the third round. Kuzmin dodges and counters, then narrowly misses on an uppercut. Sayik lands a body kick and trades left hooks with the Russian. He misfires on a spinning backfist, as Kuzmin scores with a right hand over the top. Sayik connects with a choppy right hand. Kuzmin delivers a clean right hand, drops Sayik to a knee with an inside leg kick and connects with an illegal knee strike. A pause in the action follows. Coste issues a yellow card to Kuzmin and docks him a point. Sayik spins into a hook kick upon the restart but misses the mark. They trade push kicks in the middle cage. Kuzmin scores with a push kick to the body, eats a leg kick and marches forward. The bell sounds.

The Official Result

Vladimir Kuzmin def. Zafer Sayik—Unanimous Decision

Sub Grappling: Osamah Almarwai (133.5) vs. Cleber Sousa (134.75)

Round 1

Matchmakers switch gears with a flyweight submission grappling contest between Yemen’s Almarwai and Brazil’s Sousa. Dean administers the law and order as the third man in the cage. Sousa secures a single-leg takedown and works on passing the guard. Almarwai attacks the leg. Sousa scrambles, though neither man can establish a dominant position yet. Sousa bites down on a heel hook. Almarwai rolls and frees himself. Dueling leg locks follow. Sousa scrambles briefly to a standing position and continues to look for passes on the grounded Almarwai. Sousa threatens with an armbar out of nowhere. Almarwai uses all of his defensive guile to escape. Sousa dives through the guard, gets to north-south position and progresses to the back. The Brazilian hunts the rear-naked choke, but his counterpart refuses to give in to his advances. He isolates the right arm, traps Almarwai in a triangle and takes the armbar for the tap.

The Official Result

Cleber Sousa def. Osamah Almarwai—Submission (Reverse Triangle Armbar) 5:31 R1

Boxing: Zuhayr Al-Qahtani (146.75) vs. Mehdi Zatout (144)

Round 1

Moving along, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qahtani confronts Algeria’s Zatout in a three-round boxing match. Coste answers the call to officiate. Al-Qahtani hunts body shots, as Zatout paws with his jab. Nice one-two from Zatout, followed by a stout right hand. Zatout scores with a jab-jab-cross combo. Al-Qahtani jabs to the body. Zatout connects with multiple multi-punch combinations. The experience Algerian stars to showboat a bit. Whether or not that will come to bite him remains to be seen. They trade right hands as the bell sounds.

Round 2

Al-Qahtani presses forward at the start. He forgot his mouthpiece, resulting in a brief pause to the action. Zatout fires punches in combination. The Algerian carries his hands low, hoping perhaps to draw out Al-Qahtani. Zatout scores with a left hand in close range and drops Al-Qahtani in the center of the cage. Zatout targets the head, forces a clinch and lands a series of short left hooks to the body. Al-Qahtani presses forward without throwing much, and the round comes to a close.

Round 3

Zatout may have two rounds in hand entering the final period. He taunts Al-Qahtani, looking to entrap his counterpart. Al-Qahtani bites on occasion but more often than not chooses not to pull the trigger. Valuable time ticking away. Zatout switches stances, throws in combination and heads off a counterattack with a tie-up. The Algerian stays busy with a left hand over the top. Inactivity plaguing Al-Qahtani when it matters most. Zatout showboats some more, drawing approval from the fans in attendance. Al-Qahtani marches forward with punches but lands nothing of consequence.

The Official Result

Mehdi Zatout def. Zuhayr Al-Qahtani—Unanimous Decision

MMA: Arjan Singh Bhullar (245.25) vs. Amir Aliakbari (246.25)

Round 1

Attention now returns to mixed martial arts, where Bhullar (11-2, 2-1 ONE) squares off with Aliakbari (13-3, 3-2 ONE) in an intriguing heavyweight scrap. Dean serves as the referee. They touch gloves at the start. Early feints from Bhullar, as Aliakbari paws with his jab. The Iranian is rightfully cautious against the heavy-handed Bhullar. Aliakbari starts throwing his right hand with more conviction. A sweeping right hook from Aliakbari connects to the body. Midway through the first round, and neither man has established much in terms of superiority. Aliakbari snaps off a right hook to the head. Dean urges action and threatens both men with yellow cards. Aliakbari answers the admonishment by stepping forward with a wild uppercut. It misses. He rips hooks to the body and makes a pass at a Thai clinch. Bhullar is wise to those advances and retreats into open space. Aliakbari the aggressor late in the round. Neither man throws a punch in the final 10 seconds.

Round 2

Dean reprimands Bhullar for lack of action before the middle stanza even starts. Aliakbari forces him onto the back foot under threat of power punches. He doubles up on the jab and avoids the counterattack. Yellow card for Bhullar. No change in the American Kickboxing Academy rep’s approach. Aliakbari commands the center of the cage and connects with a right uppercut before following it with a right hook. The Iranian paws with his jab, then knocks Bhullar off-balance with a clubbing right hand. Aliakbari snaps back the head with a brutal one-two. Bhullar throwing single shots at a time, unwilling to engage despite repeated calls to “work” from Dean. A multi-punch burst from Aliakbari backs Bhullar to the fence. Dean issues a second yellow card to Bhullar for inactivity. Bhullar answers a right hand with one of his own and scores with a few jabs. Both men bleeding from minor cuts.

Round 3

Bhullar needs to make drastic changes as the third round gets underway. Aliakbari steps forward with a one-two. Bhullar circles on the outside. Crowd boos. Aliakbari lands a right uppercut to the testicles, requiring a pause in the action. The Iranian steps in with a wild left hook, misses and resets after losing his balance. More boos from the audience. Bhullar still only throwing single strikes. Aliakbari presses forward. Nothing happens, and Dean claps in an effort to get the heavyweights in gear. Midway through Round 3, and nothing suggests Bhullar has what it takes to rally from behind. Aliakbari fires two hooks behind his jab, clinches and separates. Bhullar appears frozen on the outside at times. Dean issues a red card and disqualifies Bhullar for inaction.

The Official Result

Amir Aliakbari def. Arjan Singh Bhullar—Disqualification (Inactivity) 4:15 R3

MMA Title Fight:
Jarred Brooks (124.5) vs. Joshua Pacio (124)

Round 1

Up next: the first of three title fight rematches, as Brooks (20-2, 4-0 ONE) puts his undisputed strawweight crown on the line against Pacio (20-4, 12-4 ONE) at 125 pounds. Brooks took a five-round unanimous decision from Pacio in their first meeting on Dec. 3, 2022. Dean provides the law and order as the third man in the cage. Brooks fires off kicks to the head and legs at the start, then shoots on a takedown and wheels behind the standing Pacio. Brooks slams Pacio on his head, forces him to cover up and unleashes punches to prompt the stoppage. Dean informs Brooks that the slam was not legal.

The Official Result

Joshua Pacio def. Jarred Brooks—Disqualification (Illegal Slam) 0:56 R1

MMA Title Fight:
Kai Tang (154.25) vs. Thanh Le (154.25)

Round 1

The co-main event sees Tang (17-2, 7-0 ONE) defend his featherweight championship in a rematch against Le (14-3, 6-1 ONE) at 155 pounds. Tang laid claim to a five-round unanimous decision over Le at ONE 160 in August 2022. Coste answers the call to officiate. Tang takes the center, with Le coming out in southpaw stance. Not much happens through the first 90 seconds. Coste urges action. Le lands a body kick, then another. He connects with a side kick to the thigh. Tang throwing single punches, many of them targeting the body. Le lands another kick to the ribs and continues to switch stances. Coste issues yellow cards to both men for lack of activity. Not much changes after the break. Le closes the distance with a flurry late. Nothing of substance lands.

Round 2

It will be interesting to see who makes the adjustments in the second round. Tang connects with a left hook while moving backward. Jeers from the crowd. Tang scores with a right hook, then a left, and pins his rival along the fence. The Chinese star mixes in an inside leg kick and shuts down a takedown attempt from Le, who is bleeding fairly heavily from the nose. Tang continues to apply pressure from the center of the cage. Le throws out a side kick to the leg, but he has been surprisingly ineffective thus far. Le eats a left hook and an overhand right moving forward. Situation not looking promising for the interim champion, as Tang has seized the reins here. Le connects with a body kick and steps forward with a looping left hook. Tang closes the round with a leg kick.

Round 3

Tang again commands the center of the cage. He shoots a kick to the lower lead leg and keeps Le on the defensive. Tang scores with a left hook, dodges the counterattack and forces Le to reset. Coste issues yellow cards to both men for inactivity. Le responds with a body kick after the brief pause. Tang answers with a low kick and winging hooks upstairs. Le switches from southpaw to conventional and back again. Tang sneaks in a right hook. Neither man doing much in combination. Coste again urges action. Tang steps forward with a body kick, resets and fires a right hook around the Kentucky native’s guard. Tang decks Le with a lunging right hook, pounces with punches and seals the deal with unanswered blows to unify ONE Championship’s featherweight crown.

The Official Result

Kai Tang def. Thanh Le—TKO (Punches) 4:48 R3

MMA Title Fight:
Reinier de Ridder (204) vs. Anatoly Malykhin (204.5)

Round 1

De Ridder (16-1, 7-1 ONE) looks to bounce back from his only career defeat and risks his middleweight title in a headlining rematch opposite Malykhin (13-0, 5-0 ONE), who seeks to become an unprecedented three-division champion. Malykhin drowned de Ridder with first-round punches in their first meeting at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022. Dean serves as the referee. De Ridder hunts kicks and knees. Malykhin swarms with power punches and pushes the Dutchman to the fence, where they jockey for position in the clinch. They separate in open space. Malykhin steps into two right hands, one to the head and another to the body. De Ridder sits down the off-balance Russian with a knee to the body. Nothing comes of it. Malykhin trips his opponent to the mat and unleashes his hands. De Ridder survives. Malykhin frees himself from the clinch and stalks. De Ridder lands a push kick to the body. He dodges a few right hands from Malykhin and pulls him back into the clinch. They separate with 30 seconds to go. Malykhin lands two right hands to the body and eats a low kick as the bell sounds.

Round 2

De Ridder throws out a push kick and follows it with a knee upstairs. Unmoved, Malykhin moves forward behind power punches. De Ridder circles on the outside and shoots on a single-leg. Malykhin sprawls and avoids a ground exchange. De Ridder retreats after being stood up. He lands an elbow over the top on the break. Malykhin delivers two right hooks to the body while giving chase and keeps punch. He pins de Ridder on the fence and cuts loose with punches. Malykhin works the body along the fence. De Ridder clinches. Dirty boxing ensues, with Malykhin emerging the better for it. He stays in de Ridder’s face and keeps the punches flowing. The Russian connects with a right hook up stars, closes distance and gets busy with elbows, forearm strikes and punches. De Ridder looks to be fading.

Round 3

Malykhin stood the entire time between rounds and shows no real signs of fatigue. He marches forward with hooks from both hands. Malykhin shrugs off a clinch and sprawls on an attempted takedown. He takes top position, applies his ground-and-pound, throws a vicious knee to the head and sheds a last-ditch triangle before escaping back to his feet. An exhausted and beaten De Ridder refuses calls from Dean to get back to his feet. Malykhin becomes the first simultaneous three-division champion in mixed martial arts history. Remarkable.

The Official Result

Anatoly Malykhin def. Reinier de Ridder—TKO (Knee to the Head) 1:16 R3