Three blockbuster matchups have been announced for ONE Championship’s debut in the Middle East. The historic ONE 166: Qatar on Friday, March 1, will be one of the biggest events of 2024 for the world’s largest martial arts organization. Taking place at the Lusail Sports Arena, multiple World Title bouts are expected to be announced for the event, and one has been confirmed in the promotion’s latest announcement.

Jarred Brooks vs Joshua Pacio all ready to set the stage on fire

The highly anticipated rematch between Jarred Brooks and Joshua Pacio for the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship is set to finally go down. “The Monkey God” ran through the division to claim the top prize against Pacio at ONE 164 in December 2022. It was the perfect fairytale journey for the American, but it also eliminated clear contenders for his coveted strap.

While waiting for his first World Title defense, Brooks took a slight detour to challenge Mikey Musumeci for the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title earlier this year. He came up short on that occasion, but certainly made a valiant effort and showed everyone just how dangerous he was on the ground. 

Meanwhile, “The Passion” bounced back from his loss to Brooks in impressive fashion. At ONE Fight Night 15 this past October, he dealt rising contender Mansur Malachiev the first defeat of his professional career. 

Read More: “It Doesn’t Really Go to My Head” – Despite Rising to Superstardom, Stamp Fairtex Still Strives to Improve Her Craft

While he would have welcomed another fight before his rematch with his American foe, the opportunity to reclaim his lost gold was too appealing not to take. 

On the other hand, another match added to the lineup features contrasting paths between two contenders. 

A night to remember for the ONE Championship fans

Former heavyweight MMA king Arjan Bhullar is on the road to redemption after getting stopped by reigning titleholder Anatoly Malykhin in their unification bout at ONE Friday Fights 23 this past June. Despite coming up short, “Singh” offered the Russian superstar his toughest test so far in his ONE tenure. 

The Canadian-Indian behemoth will return against a man who is arguably closer to a World Title shot than he is. Amir Aliakbari has reeled off three straight wins in the promotion, knocking out each opponent that has stood in his way since his loss to Malykhin in 2021, and his dominant run includes retiring former longtime heavyweight king Brandon Vera. One thing’s for sure – both men will be hungry to secure a rematch with “Sladkiy” when they meet. So fans can expect a barn burner!

Finally, in another exciting clash, former ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title challengers Cleber Sousa and Osamah Almarwai will meet to test each other’s skills. 

Read More: “I’m Better Technically and Stronger Too” – Felipe Lobo Breaks Down His Advantages Over Saemapetch Fairtex Ahead of ONE Fight Night 17

Sousa faced reigning divisional king Mikey Musumeci for the inaugural belt at ONE on Prime Video 2 back in October 2022 and went the whole 10 minutes before falling to a decision loss.

Almarwai, on the other hand, wasn’t as fortunate in his meeting with ‘Darth Rigatoni’. Mususmeci called out the Yemeni grappler, who graciously accepted the bout this past May. He put up a decent fight, but the Evolve MMA superstar found a way to submit him just before the clock ran out. 

Sousa and Almarwai will be out to show that they are both still well able to hang with the elite when they take each other in Qatar.

More matches are expected to be announced soon for the monumental event, so watch out for more updates on this space in the coming weeks.