ꦜThis Thursday, February 20, ONE Championship will return to Qatar and the beautiful Lusail Sports Arena for a blockbuster fight card that’s packed with high-stakes fights and compelling storylines.
꧑Topped by a pair of massive World Title bouts, should be filled with drama.
♋Whether it’s established global superstars looking to make a run at gold or reigning ONE World Champions aiming to cement their status, the stakes will be incredibly high throughout the show.
♍These are five big questions that will be answered in just a few days.
#1 Can Jarred Brooks Regain His Dominance?
ꦿIn the main event, reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion will battle interim titleholder in a much-anticipated World Title unification trilogy bout.
♒Brooks scored the biggest win of his career in their first meeting back in 2022, employing a masterful blend of wrestling and striking to win a decision and take the undisputed divisional crown from Pacio. That victory capped an extremely impressive 4-0 run to begin his ONE tenure.
🌟The outspoken American would subsequently suffer a submission defeat in his unsuccessful bid for the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title and then lost his MMA belt to Pacio via disqualification at .
ജWhile Brooks would bounce back and claim the interim gold with a first-round submission win over , he suffered another defeat against in his recent ONE flyweight MMA debut.
🉐After such a dominant start to his ONE career and with an overall MMA record of 21-4, can “The Monkey God” regain his status as a seemingly unstoppable force at strawweight?
#2 Will Jonathan Haggerty Bounce Back?
෴ is motivated to erase the memory of his most recent loss when he puts his ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title on the line against Chinese star this Thursday.
𝄹The British superstar enjoyed a banner year in 2023, defeating Thai legend and Brazilian phenom to claim Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Titles – cementing himself as a pound-for-pound powerhouse.
ꦆBut in his most recent outing at , Haggerty found himself on the receiving end of a stunning first-round knockout from .
📖That loss cost him the bantamweight Muay Thai crown and caused many fans to question how “The General” would handle such a devastating, high-profile defeat.
ಞAt ONE 171, those questions will be answered, as Haggerty will face an incredibly stiff test from the decorated and experienced “Demon Blade.”
#3 Which Former ONE Kickboxing World Champion Will Make Their Case For Another Shot?
💖Former ONE Kickboxing World Champions and will throw down in a pivotal bantamweight clash that’s likely to produce the division’s next World Title challenger.
꧋The 39-year-old Petchtanong recently returned to action after a two-year hiatus, knocking out in devastating fashion to announce himself as a serious World Title threat once again.
ဣNow ranked #3 in the bantamweight kickboxing division, the Thai will put his elite fight IQ and shocking power to the test against #2-ranked Ennahachi.
🐽The Dutch-Moroccan phenom has never tasted defeat in ONE, only losing his ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title when he was unable to make weight while hydrated.
♛Ennahachi will also come into this crucial bout loaded with momentum following a dominant decision win over former bantamweight kickboxing king .
💎On February 20, one of these former World Champions will stake his claim for another crack at ONE gold.
#4 How Will Ritu Phogat Look After A Long Hiatus?
🉐In atomweight MMA action, Indian superstar will make her long-awaited return to take on #3-ranked contender .
𝄹A decorated wrestler and a beloved figure in her home country, “The Indian Tigress” burst onto the global stage with a 7-1 run to begin her ONE career, fighting her way to the 2021 ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Grand Prix final.
💯Phogat would drop her next two fights, though, and hasn’t competed since 2022.
ౠCan the powerhouse grappler restart her hype train and make another run at the gold, or will Miura give her a rude welcome back to ONE?
#5 Can Roberto Soldic Finally Back Up The Hype?
ꦉPrior to his wildly celebrated arrival in ONE, had established himself as arguably Europe’s top mixed martial artist and an all-action knockout artist.
ꦡBut after a no contest in his promotional debut, followed by a shocking knockout loss in his sophomore appearance, the Croatian brawler has his back against the wall.
🎉He hopes to live up to the lofty expectations when he goes toe-to-toe with longtime lightweight MMA contender in a welterweight MMA scrap.
🔜For Soldic, this fight represents his chance to remind fans why he was such a massive free-agent signing and make waves in the talent-laden welterweight division.
