A new month kicks off with a bang for MMASucka staff picks.
ONE 166 will take place tomorrow, March 1st from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. The event comes as ONE Championship’s first-ever trip to the Middle Eastern country. Viewers in the United States and Canada can watch the event at 7:30am ET (4:30am PT) on Amazon Prime Video and various ONE platforms. See here how to watch the card in your area.
Stay tuned here at MMASucka for results from ONE 166. Also, be on the lookout Saturday the 2nd for our picks from UFC Vegas 87: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev from Las Vegas.
Main Event
ONE Championship’s Middleweight Title (205 pounds) is on the line between Reinier de Ridder and Anatoly Malykhin. The two previously fought in December of 2022 with Malykhin taking the Light Heavyweight Championship (225 pounds) from de Ridder by knockout in the first round.
Current Champion de Ridder returns to the cage for the first time since his first professional loss nearly 15 months ago. A well-rounded grappling specialist with expertise in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the Dutch talent looks for his third Title defense since winning the title over Aung La N Sang in October of 2020. De Ridder’s opponent, Malykhin, will attempt to become the first three-divisional Champion in mixed martial arts history. The former freestyle wrestler remains undefeated with all wins coming by way of stoppage (nine KO/TKOs, 4 SUB) looking to back up his ONE Heavyweight Championship victory over Arjan Bhullar last June.
Championship Pairings
In the co-main event, Tang Kai and Thanh Le will rematch for the ONE Featherweight Championship (155 pounds). 28-year-old Kai aims for his eleventh straight win in his eighth promotional fight as he returns for his first fight since winning the Title over Le in August of 2022. Former LFA Featherweight Champion Le hopes to regain the title in a unification bout following his October submission for the interim Championship over Ilya Freymanov.
A third rematch and Championship MMA fight will take place between current Strawweight Champion Jarred Brooks and challenger Joshua Pacio. Brooks targets his first defense of the title after defeating two-time Title holder Pacio in December of 2022.
Tang Kai and Thanh Le are LOCKED IN ahead of their ONE Featherweight MMA World Title unification bout 🔒 Who you got? @ThanhLeMMA #ONE166: Qatar presented by @VisitQatar@MediacityQa @OoredooQatar
March 1 at 3:30PM AST
🇶🇦 Watch live on beIN SPORTS
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch live on Prime… pic.twitter.com/enZNtCuTzT— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 29, 2024
Remaining Card
Two additional MMA fights make up the awaiting card. The aforementioned ONE Heavyweight Champion of Arjan Bhullar will fight former Greco-Roman wrestler Amir Aliakbari at heavyweight (265 pounds). The first fight of the night sees former Pancrase Champion Keito Yamakita set to fight twelve-fight ONE competitor Jeremy Miado in the strawweight division.
See the non-MMA pairings at ONE 166 here. Who wins and who is picked to win?
Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with Bellator MMA, ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL and Bellator MMA see picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2024 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
Check out our ONE 166 picks below.
RECORDS AFTER UFC FIGHT NIGHT 237:
1T. Frazer Krohn: 33-18
1T. Nate Freeman: 33-18
3T. Jeremy Brand: 29-22
3T. Michael DeSantis: 29-22
5T. Wesley Riddle: 28-23
5T. Julio Monteros Jr.: 28-11
7. Lukas DeWitt: 16-12
8. Andrew Benjamin: 15-22
9. Michael Kachan: 6-2
10. Casey Cooper: 4-5
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Keito Yamakita (8-1), -200
vs.
Jeremy Miado (10-6), +160
STRAWWEIGHT DIVISION
– 125 LBS. ~ 56.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Yamakita via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Yamakita via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Yamakita via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Yamakita via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Yamakita via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Yamakita: 5
Staff picking Miado: 0
Arjan Bhullar (11-2), +180
vs.
Amir Aliakbari (13-3), -220
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
– 265 LBS. ~ 120.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Bhullar via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Aliakbari via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Aliakbari via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Bhullar via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Aliakbari via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Bhullar: 2
Staff picking Aliakbari: 3
Jarred Brooks (20-2, 1 NC), -350
vs.
Joshua Pacio (21-4), +275
STRAWWEIGHT DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
– 125 LBS. ~ 56.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Brooks via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Brooks via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Brooks via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Brooks via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Brooks via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Brooks: 5
Staff picking Pacio: 0
Tang Kai (18-2), -250
vs.
Tanh Le (14-3), +200
FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION
– CO-MAIN EVENT –
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Le via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Kai via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Le via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Kai via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Kai via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Kai: 3
Staff picking Le: 2
Reinier de Ridder (16-1), +375
vs.
Anatoly Malykhin (13-0), -475
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
– MAIN EVENT –
– 205 LBS. ~ 93.0 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: de Ridder via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Malykhin via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: de Ridder via Round 3 SUB
Frazer Krohn: de Ridder via Round 3 SUB
Nate Freeman: Malykhin via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking de Ridder: 3
Staff picking Malykhin: 2
There’s a score to SETTLE 😤 Can Anatoly Malykhin make history as the first three-division ONE World Champion, or will Reinier de Ridder get revenge and retain his middleweight MMA crown?#ONE166: Qatar presented by @VisitQatar@MediacityQa @OoredooQatar
March 1 at 3:30PM AST… pic.twitter.com/lWGi1Pdhwz— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 29, 2024
ONE 166 FEATURED IMAGE:
Poster for ONE 166 featured three mixed martial arts Championship fights taking place Friday, March 1st from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar (photo credits to ONE Championship).
