ONE Championship returned to the Middle East nation of Qatar on February 20 – and the results were simply spectacular.
Ahead of the World Title main events, ONE 171: Qatar featured a trio of lead card matchups and eight main card fights, with all but two ending via knockout or submission.
Here, we recap the frantic MMA, Muay Thai, and submission grappling action from Lusail Sports Arena.
It took a while for Roberto “Robocop” Soldic to earn his first win in ONE Championship, but that long-awaited victory was simply spectacular.
The 30-year-old Croatian superstar scored a highlight-reel knockout of Turkish fan favorite Dagi Arslanaliev with a monstrous left hook at 1:55 of the first round in their welterweight MMA showdown.
Arslanaliev started strong, dropping Soldic with a massive overhand right, but the latter survived the follow-up onslaught to regain his footing. As the Turk then looked to throw a body kick, Soldic unleashed the devastating left hook that sent his foe crashing to the canvas with his lights switched off.
With the emphatic KO, Soldic improved to 21-4 overall with 19 finishes and earned a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Post-fight, he called for a World Title shot against reigning ONE Welterweight MMA World Champion Christian Lee and a rematch with former divisional king Zebaztian Kadestam, who knocked him out in 2023.
Shamil Erdogan left no doubt that he was the better fighter as he steamrolled former two-division ONE MMA World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang inside of 30 seconds in their 210-pound catchweight rematch.
Attempting to prove a point after a first-round loss in their first meeting, Aung La N Sang came flying out of the gate in search of revenge. But the undefeated Turkish terror remained calm, cool, and collected to fend off the attacks.
Then out of nowhere, Erdogan wrecked the Myanmar legend with a thunderous left high kick at just 0:28 that rendered him unconscious before he even hit the mat.
As a result, the rising star improved to 11-0 overall and earned US$50,000 bonus as he continues to chase down a clash with ONE Middleweight MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin.
Fourth-ranked featherweight MMA contender Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov defeated #5-ranked Martin ” The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, nudging himself closer to a shot at divisional gold and sending the Vietnamese-Australian legend into retirement.
The 29-year-old from Peresvet Fight Team and Tiger Muay Thai bull-rushed Nguyen, constantly searching for a takedown. He managed to nail a few over the course of their three-round battle, but “The Situ-Asian” wanted to keep the fight standing.
Gasanov looked just as good on the feet, as he rocked his foe with solid right hands. Between his punches and double-legs, the Russian was able to maintain a lead and secure the unanimous decision win.
With the victory, Gasanov improved his MMA record to 17-1 and remained in contention to challenge ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai.
Nguyen, on the other hand, immediately announced his retirement from MMA after a storied career that saw him become ONE’s first-ever two-division World Champion.
Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes edged out longtime rival Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon by split decision in their fifth and final bantamweight MMA showdown to conclude his iconic fighting career in victorious fashion.
The former 11-time ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion had to endure a barrage of kicks early, including the Filipino’s signature spinning back kicks, but he responded valiantly with his ground game.
In round two, the Brazilian-Canadian looked for the takedown, though Belingon reversed the position and fired a head kick. And when the 44-year-old Fernandes countered with a big right hand, “The Silencer” instantly avenged it with an identical punch.
“The Flash” switched gears in the third, landing short strikes on the feet while securing dominant ground positions to mute Belingon until the final bell.
When the dust settled, two judges scored it for Fernandes, giving him a 25-6 professional slate as he officially rides off into retirement.
Belarusian bruiser Kirill Grishenko put consecutive wins together as he dominated Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli in heavyweight MMA action to score a first-round finish.
Grishenko felt the Italian’s pressure in the early going, but he utilized his size advantage and long legs to land push kicks to the midsection and chop Cerilli’s legs out from under him.
After an injury timeout, the 33-year-old slammed one more left kick into “The Hammer’s” lower leg that sent him hobbling away in pain, securing the finish at 3:28 of round one.
Grishenko moved to 7-2 overall and took one step closer to a potential rematch with current ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane.
Fans got to witness the long-awaited bantamweight Muay Thai clash between Jake “The One” Peacock and Shinji Suzuki, and the man with one hand emerged victorious.
The former Road to ONE: Canada winner started by attacking Suzuki with low kicks and punches, even scoring an eight-count with a left knee to the Japanese fighter’s face in the second round. Then in the final frame, he really turned up the heat.
Peacock dropped Suzuki two more times, first with a right elbow, then with a low kick. Sensing the end was close, the 31-year-old rushed forward with punches, and Suzuki fell where he stood as referee Oliver Coste waved off the contest at 1:29 of the round.
With the impressive victory, the British-Canadian sensation improved his professional record to 14-1 with 12 knockouts and continued to climb the divisional ladder.
Ayaka “Zombie” Miura showcased her elite ground game once again, forcing Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat to submit with a kneebar in the first round of their atomweight MMA showdown.
The #3-ranked contender wasted no time closing the distance, while Phogat landed a sharp left hand. When Miura then shot for a double-leg takedown, Phogat initially scrambled free – but the escape was short-lived.
The Japanese star quickly adjusted and secured a single-leg takedown, immediately working on Phogat’s right leg. From there, she expertly locked in the kneebar, forcing the tap at 2:24 of round one.
The victory extended Miura’s winning streak to four, including three in ONE’s atomweight MMA division, improving her overall record to 15-5. To cap it off, she earned a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo continued his dominant transition to mixed martial arts with a first-round submission win over Nicolas “El Paisa” Vigna in their 175-pound catchweight MMA fight.
Ruotolo chased after the Argentine debutant from the moment the opening bell sounded. Before Vigna knew it, the American superstar had gone to work with heel hooks, ground-and-pound, and a rear-naked choke.
Vigna fought off those attempts for as long as he could, but he eventually succumbed to Ruotolo’s arm-triangle choke at 3:04 of the first frame.
With his victory, the Tenore representative moved to 3-0 in MMA – with three first-round stoppages – handed Vigna his first professional defeat, and earned a US$50,000 performance bonus.
ONE 171: Qatar began with a trio of lead card matchups featuring regional stars.
Hussein Salem of Irag defeated Walter Cogliandro via first-round KO in their featherweight MMA battle, Abdullo Khodzhaev of Tajikistan scored a TKO of Wilian Poles in their lightweight MMA showdown, and Zayed Alkatheeri of the United Arab Emirates finished Mohammad Aburumuh in their openweight submission grappling fight.
