Two World Title Bouts Added To ONE 166
The final two world championship title bouts for ONE 166: Qatar are official, Sports Illustrated has learned.
Stamp Fairtex will defend her Atomweight MMA world title against Denice Zamboanga at the event on March 1, and Tye Ruotolo will put his Welterweight Submission Grappling world title on the line against former IBJJF world champion Izaak Michell.
Courtesy ONE Championship
Fairtex is a three-sport champion, having held belts in kickboxing, Muay Thai, and now MMA. She won the vacant Atomweight MMA world title in September with a TKO win against Ham Seo-hee. Zamboanga has lost twice in two tries to Seo-hee, but she has won her last two fights entering this title bout against Fairtex.
Ruotolo won the inaugural Welterweight Submission Grappling world title in November when he defeated Magomed Abdulkadirov by decision. The bout against Michell, a BJJ world champion, will be Ruotolo’s first defense of the belt.
Courtesy ONE Championship
As part of a grassroots efforts to develop martial arts talent in the region, ONE will also host a no gi submission grappling tournament in the lead-up to ONE 166: Qatar at “Road to ONE: Doha” on February 29. The competition, which spans five weight divisions, will award winners with $100,000 contracts to grapple for ONE.
ONE 166: Qatar also features three world championship rematches, including ONE Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin attempting to become a three-division champ by adding the ONE Middleweight MMA world title in his bout against Reinier de Ridder. ONE Strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks defends his belt against Joshua Pacio, and ONE Featherweight MMA world champion Tang Kai faces off against interim champ Thanh Le in a world title unification bout.
ONE 166: Qatar will be broadcast in the Middle East region on beIN Sports. Details on how to watch the global broadcast are expected to be announced soon.
