At least three of One Championship’s title fights in Qatar will
be under MMA rules.
Per the organization on
Tuesday,
Kai
Tang (17-2) and Thanh Le
(14-3) will run it back for the unified ONE featherweight (155
pounds) throne. The two will square off on March 1 at the Lusail
Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, as part of the promotion’s first
card in the Middle Eastern nation. It will join a pair of
championship rematches of Reinier
de Ridder vs. Anatoliy
Malykhin—this time at 205 pounds—and Jarred
Brooks vs. Joshua
Pacio at 125 pounds.
Tang has not competed since claiming a victory over Le in August
2022, where he outworked the Louisiana native across five rounds.
In the process, Tang pushed Le to the final bell for the first time
in the latter’s career. The fighter from China has not tasted
defeat since 2017, running a span of 10 victories including seven
under the ONE banner. Tang sports a knockout rate of 76% as a pro,
while never winning—or losing—a match by submission.
Since Le surrendered his belt to Tang in 2022, the two were
scheduled to run it back in July 2023, only for Tang to suffer a
knee injury. The company matched Le against Ilya
Freymanov on ONE Fight Night 15 in October for the interim
strap, and Lee snatched up a heel hook in 62 seconds to claim the
title. The former interim Legacy Fighting Alliance featherweight champion
celebrates a flawless finish rate of 100%, with 13 of his 14 wins
taking place within the first two rounds.
ONE 166 will go down at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar,
on March 1. The blockbuster show is expected to feature five
championship tilts across multiple disciplines, and three are
currently booked. The main attraction will see Ridder look to hold
onto his 205-pound crown against heavyweight and 225-pound kingpin
Malykhin. The remaining lineup has not been set in stone, but
Brooks and Pacio are expected to engage for the second time for the
125-pound belt. The lone other MMA fight on the billing is a
heavyweight clash pitting Arjan
Singh Bhullar against Amir
Aliakbari.