ONE Championship returns to Lusail Sports Arena on Thursday, February 20, for ONE 171: Qatar. The lineup features two title tilts at the top of the card, but there is plenty of action for any martial arts fan up and down the bill. It will be a fantastic start to the weekend.
In the co-main event, ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty defends the gold against Wei Rui. Then Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio finish their trilogy to determine the undisputed ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion. What else should capture your eye? Here are three more bouts you must watch at this incredible event.
ONE 171: Dagi Arslanaliev vs. Roberto Soldic
The welterweight MMA bout between Dagi Arslanaliev and Roberto Soldic may be the most explosive on the card at ONE 171. The Russian has flashed his finishing abilities throughout his ONE tenure. Meanwhile, Soldic is hoping to nab his first win in the promotion and show the world his show-stopping power.
After a no-contest in his ONE debut, Soldic returned against former ONE Welterweight MMA World Champion Zebaztian Kadestam. After a hot start, Kadestam rallied at ONE Fight Night 10 to knock out the Croatian. “Robocop” is refreshed after a year away from action and is looking for a standout performance to thrust him right into the title picture.
In Arslanaliev’s last MMA bout, he picked up a highlight-reel finish over Timofey Nastyukhin. The 30-year-old looks to build on that victory to make himself a title threat in the division. If he can, a rematch against Christian Lee may be in the works in 2025.
ONE 171: Shamil Gasanov vs. Martin Nguyen
The featherweight division will have an important match between ranked contenders on the bill. As ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai holds onto the belt and Akbar Abdullaev chases, #4-ranked Shamil Gasanov and #5-ranked Martin Nguyen collide to make their push. Both men look to finish, making this a must-see matchup.
Gasanov has quietly put together an impressive three-match winning streak. In his most recent outing, the Russian outlasted Halil Amir in a three-round bout in December. A win over the former divisional king could elevate him right into the cat bird’s seat of the division.
Nguyen, however, is coming off of a loss last January to Garry Tonon. The matchup against Gasanov gives him a chance to instantly change his momentum and jump right back into the title hunt. The 35-year-old is looking for one more push toward the gold and recapturing the magic that made him a champion.
ONE 171: Jake Peacock vs. Shinji Suzuki
Jake Peacock’s inspirational journey to the global stage began with a Road To ONE: Canada tournament victory in 2024. The Canadian made his debut at ONE Friday Fights 58 in impressive fashion by defeating Kohei Shinjo. Now the 31-year-old gets a massive opportunity inside Lusail Sports Arena to prove his might.
ONE 171 will mark Shinji Suzuki’s second trip to Qatar. At ONE 166, the Japanese striker picked up a unanimous decision win over Han Zi Hao. Now, Suzuki is back playing the role of spoiler and hopes to pause the story of Peacock’s rise with a resounding performance.
The Muay Thai matchup will test both men and give the winner a big boost in the bantamweight division. The action should be fast-paced and could help set the tone for the event. Once the final bell sounds, one man will have back-to-back wins on the global stage and set himself up to begin a true winning streak.
ONE 171: Qatar airs live on Thursday, February 20. The action begins at 10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST. The event is free via ONE’s official YouTube channel.