ONE 166: Anatoly Malykhin Makes History by Becoming the First 3 Division World Champion in Major MMA Promotions

ONE Championship capped off its first show in Qatar with a historic feat that made waves around the world. This past weekend, ONE 166: Qatar saw ONE Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin claim the middleweight belt after stopping Reinier de Ridder in their main event pairing inside the Lusail Sports Arena. It turned out to be a blockbuster bout!

Results for Anatoly Malykhin vs Reinier De Ridder and Other title fights

“Sladkiy” looked like a man on a mission from the build-up through the opening bell, as he was determined to make history on a monumental event for the organization. However, De Ridder was motivated to right the wrongs of their first encounter and came with quiet confidence.

“The Dutch Knight” showed some improved striking, using his kicks to keep the Russian powerhouse at bay and unleashing some pinpoint punches when his rival got too close. In the first round, De Ridder hit Malykhin with a punch and kick combination that saw the challenger fall back momentarily.

He could not mount any significant offense though, as Malykhin constantly stuffed any takedown attempts and kept the fight on their feet. While De Ridder’s movements helped him stay away from fight-ending blows, it caused him to deal with fatigue throughout the match.

By the third round, the Combat Brothers representative appeared depleted of energy but kept fighting. In a final attempt to turn the tide, he pulled Anatoly Malykhin to his guard, but the Russian easily got back to his feet. The referee then asked De Ridder to stand back up to continue, but the Dutchman was unable to comply, ending the match at the 1:16 mark of round three.

With the win, Anatoly Malykhin claimed three-division supremacy and extended his undefeated run to 14-0, all by finishes. He also became the first fighter to claim three belts in different weight classes simultaneously in a major combat sports promotion.

In the other World Title bouts, Tang Kai unified the ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship as he re-asserted his dominance over interim titleholder Thanh Le while Jarred Brooks lost the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title controversially as he was disqualified for spiking challenger Joshua Pacio to the ground with a slam.

READ MORE: ONE 165 Full Results: Six Fighters Handed $50,000 in Bonus as Superlek Edges Takeru in 5 Round War

Fight Bonus and all the results for the ONE 166: Qatar card

Only three out of the ten fights went the distance, with Malykhin and Tang claiming US$50,000 for their incredible performances.

Here are the complete results from ONE 166: Qatar:

Keito Yamakita defeated Jeremy Miado via submission (bulldog choke) at 4:04 of round one (strawweight – MMA)

Shinji Suzuki defeated Han Zi Hao via unanimous decision (bantamweight – Muay Thai)

Ali Saldoev defeated Zakaria El Jamari via KO (body shot to left hook) at 0:51 of round two (137.75lb catchweight – Muay Thai)

Cleber Sousa defeated Osamah Almarwai via submission (armbar) at 5:31 (flyweight – submission grappling)

Vladimir Kuzmin defeated Zafer Sayik via unanimous decision (147.75lb catchweight – Muay Thai)

Mehdi Zatout defeated Zuhayr Al-Qahtani via unanimous decision (147lb catchweight – boxing)

Amir Aliakbari defeated Arjan Bhullar via disqualification (inactivity) at 4:15 of round three (heavyweight – MMA)

Joshua Pacio defeated Jarred Brooks via DQ (spiking the head of his opponent during a takedown) at 0:56 of round one (ONE strawweight MMA world championship)

Tang Kai defeated Thanh Le via TKO (right hand to ground and pound) at 4:48 of round three (undisputed ONE featherweight MMA world championship)

Anatoly Malykhin defeated Reinier de Ridder via TKO (ground and pound) at 1:16 of round three (ONE middleweight MMA world championship)

READ MORE: Reinier de Ridder Explains How His Gym Helps Feed His Passion for Martial Arts – “We’ve Always Shared Blood, Sweat and Tears”